World Asthma Day 2017 will be celebrated all across the world on 2nd of May (1st Tuesday of May).
World Asthma Day is a big event celebrated all over the world by the people to increase the awareness among public worldwide about the precautions and preventions of the asthma. This event is annually organized on international level by the GINA (Global Initiative for Asthma) in order to increase the asthma awareness all around the world. It is celebrated on annual basis at 1st Tuesday of the May month. World Asthma Day celebration was first started celebrating in the year 1998 by the GINA in more than 35 countries after its first “World Asthma Meeting” in the Barcelona, Spain.
World Asthma Day 2014 celebration would organizes symposium to bring together the key players including asthma educators, general practitioners, respiratory nurses, practicing nurses, pharmacy assistants, pharmacists, medical researchers, medical students and other health workers.
WORLD ASTHMA DAY ACTIVITIES
World Asthma Day is celebrated in the month of May every year that’s why May is known as the Asthma Awareness Month when the “National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP)” is organized to encourages the people to take care of their asthma.
Family members and the persons having asthma are encouraged for the written asthma action plan (AAP) through their healthcare provider to fulfill the specific needs of the asthmatic patients such as accurate medications to get prevented from the airway inflammations and environmental causes of asthma like dust mites and tobacco smoke.
APP is a big step taken by the NAEPP to bring together the clinicians, patients and others taking care of the asthmatic patients to work together jointly in order to seize control over the asthma. Patients of persistent asthma are motivated through many activities for using inhaled corticosteroids to get successful control over the asthma. Some of the activities are:
- AAP aims highlighting the daily basis control over asthma and handling its symptoms or asthma attacks.
- Free checkup camps are organized to assess the severity of asthma among people to start best treatment.
- Patients are motivated for their scheduled follow-up visits at the periodic intervals of six months and controlling the environmental exposures to get prevented from allergens or irritants.
- Asthma Societies in many countries celebrates World Asthma Day on national level.
- New asthma clinics and pharmacy clinics are opened in the required areas.
- TV channels and news channels distributes messages like “fighting asthma with every breath” and other awareness messages to reach to the public.
- Quiz competitions, debate, symposium and etc. on the subject of asthma are organized in the schools, colleges and pharmacies throughout the country.
- Classes are taken by the teachers on the subjects of asthma prevention and precaution methods.
- Asthma awareness posters and banners are distributed and applied in the most vulnerable areas to increases public awareness.
OBJECTIVES OF WORLD ASTHMA DAY
World asthma day is celebrated every year by organizing lots of program and events to fulfill the following objectives:
- The HSE National Asthma Program (NAP) was established in the year 2010 by the Asthma Society, Ireland aiming to improve the asthma care.
- To identify the patient for accurate treatment of primary or secondary level based on the standard guidelines.
- Maximize the number of people without asthma and minimize the number of people with asthma to get proper control.
- Reduce death rates caused by the asthma.
- Enroll all the asthma patients to ensure that all patients are diagnosed and getting treatment.
- To reduce an emergency department visits because of the asthma and number of days spent by the asthmatic patients in the hospital.
WORLD ASTHMA DAY THEME
- The theme of 1998 was “to help our children breathe”.
- The theme of 2000 was “everyone normal breathing”.
- The theme of 2001 was “unite to overcome asthma”.
- The theme of 2002 was “Understanding asthma”.
- The theme of 2003 was “Reducing the asthma burden”.
- The theme of 2004 was “emphasis on asthma, reduce the burden of the asthma”.
- The theme of 2005 was “The Unmet Needs of Asthma”.
- The theme of 2006 was “The Unmet Needs of Asthma”.
- The theme of 2007 was “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
- The theme of 2008 was “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
- The theme of 2009 was “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
- The theme of 2010 was “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
- The theme of 2011 was “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
- The theme of 2012 was “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
- The theme of 2013 was “You Can Control Your Asthma.”
- The theme of 2014 was “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
- The theme of 2015 was “You Can Control Your Asthma” and sub-theme was “It’s Time to Control Asthma”.
- The theme of 2016 was “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
Some facts about Asthma:
- Asthma is a chronic disease that affects airways in lungs. During asthma attacks, patients can experience wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, or tightness and pain in the chest.
- Asthmatic attacks can be triggered by allergens, exercise, smoke, pollution, or airway infections.
- Smoking is known to trigger asthmatic attacks. Make handmade cards to encourage your loved ones to quit smoking.
- As of 2012, more than 18 million adults and 6 million children suffered from asthma.
- In the last decade, the number of people with asthma increased by 15%.
- Asthma costs the country more than $50 billion every year in health care costs.
- In children, boys are more likely to develop asthma than girls, but in adults, women are more likely than men.
- Hispanics may have an elevated risk for exposure to air pollution since a disproportionate number (80%) live in areas that fail to meet one or more national standards for air pollution.
- Asthma is the cause for children missing more than 10 million school days a year.
- College-age adults (ages 18 to 24) are more likely to develop asthma than older adults.
- African-Americans are 2 to 3 times more likely than any other racial group to die from asthma, but roughly 25% of black adults with asthma cannot afford regular doctor’s visits.
References:
http://www.whathealth.com/awareness/event/worldasthmaday.html
https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-asthma