25/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - A conference took place in Ghent on 19 April to examine the work on allergies carried out by the GA²LEN Network of Excellence, which is funded from the 6th EU research framework programme. Professor Paul van Cauwenberge, project coordinator declared, “the past 40 years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases and asthma. Over 50% of the population of Europe is likely to be allergic within the next 10-15 years. The increases will not only take place in western Europe but also in poorer countries”. Currently, asthma and allergic diseases in young people varies from 32% in the United Kingdom to only 2.6% in Albania. (http://www.ga2len.net ).