AFOS 2019, Manila

I have just attended the 6th Scientific Meeting of the Asian Federation of Osteoporosis Societies (AFOS) in Manila. It was great to meet many colleagues and new friends in Asia. On this occasion, I would like to thank Professor Leilani B. Mercado-Asis, Dr. Julie Li-Yu, and Dr. Lyndon John Lllamado for inviting me to participate in the Meeting.

The three-day Meeting discussed several issues concerning osteoporosis in Asia. These issues included the epidemiology of osteoporosis in Asia, utility of fracture risk assessment, secondary osteoporosis, atypical femoral fracture, vitamin D and bone health, and new therapeutics. I contributed 2 lectures in Meeting; the first one was on the application of fracture risk assessment models in Asian populations, and the second one was on the association between fracture, bisphosphonate treatment and mortality. So many good questions were raised, and we I had an opportunity to discuss new issues with colleagues.

The Meeting attracted about 470 participants from the Philippines and ASEAN countries. I was very impressed with the well attendance of local colleagues. In the third day (last day) of the Meeting, the room was still full of participants. This year, AFOS has admitted three more osteoporosis societies from Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Vietnam.

I also attended the editorial board meeting of the AFOS journal, Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia. The Journal, under the leadership of Professor Yoon-Sok Chung (Korea), has progressed very well. It is now indexed in Pubmed and has steadily published good papers. We are going to make some minor changes to the Journal’s direction and the composition of the editorial board.

It was my second time to visit the Manila (my first visit was almost 20 years ago). Manila is an interesting city, because it is blended from Spanish and American styles, but with an Asian flavor. It is an ideal place to soak up the Spanish culture in Asia. I enjoyed the laidback atmosphere and streets lined with Spanish styled architecture and restaurants. However, like many other Asian cities, Manila has a big problem of traffic jam. The city air seems to be permeated with smog and innumerable fine particles from construction zones.

The next meeting will be held in Singapore in 2021.