World Asthma Day lands on the third (3rd) of May this year, intending to raise awareness about this respiratory disease.
To honour the event, many organisations throughout Australia and over the world are planning a variety of activities. The day also highlights how this disease can be controlled with proper first aid treatment and prevention.
Background
World Asthma Day (WAD) is organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma or GINA, which is a collaborative organisation founded by WHO in 1983. The celebration is held every first week of May in more than 35 countries today.
The Global Asthma Report states about 339 million people globally with Asthma. Along with that fact are the 417,918 fatalities due to Asthma back in 2016.
GINA has chosen “Closing the Gaps in Asthma Care” as the theme for this year’s event.
Closing Gaps in Asthma Care
Asthma is a chronic lung condition characterised by various symptoms, including difficulty breathing.
During an asthma attack, the air passages leading to and from the lungs begin to narrow, which obstructs the path of oxygen. Asthma attacks can be a distressing situation for any individual, both physically and mentally.
The symptoms may vary in intensity and frequency for each person, but the most common signs may include breathlessness, frequent coughing, chest pains, and wheezing.
With the staggering numbers of people living with Asthma globally, this highlights the importance of World Asthma Day in raising awareness and uncovering common misconceptions.
Several gaps in asthma care require intervention to prevent higher costs due to further complications of uncontrolled Asthma.
The current gaps in asthma treatment may include:
- Medication or having equal access to proper diagnosis and treatment
- Provided care for different socioeconomic, ethnic, and age groups,
- Provided care between first and third world countries and communities
- Gaps in communication, education, and training for people with Asthma
- Gaps in asthma knowledge and awareness between organisations and health care providers
- Knowing the sequence of priorities between Asthma and other chronic health conditions
- Knowledge of doctor-prescribed inhalers, monitoring adherence, and ability to use asthma services
- General knowledge for the public, even to those non-asthmatics
- Public awareness of the condition and understanding that Asthma is a chronic and not acute disease
- Gaps in provided scientific evidence
- A gap in the actual delivery of care and first aid interventions for people with asthma attacks
The challenge posed by the theme “Closing the Gaps in Asthma care” is for international and local respiratory communities to work together with everyone, including patients, bystanders, and health care providers, to identify and close existing gaps in asthma treatment.
These aims bridge the gaps by implementing and sharing innovative solutions in treating and preventing this chronic disease locally and globally.
According to Global Initiative for Asthma, all efforts are made to ensure that all international communities work together to implement these asthma care solutions to lessen fatalities and improve the quality of life for those living with the condition.
Come and Celebrate World Asthma Day
Asthma disease can affect people of all ages, genders, and races all across the globe.
For this reason, there is a need for widespread knowledge on awareness and basic airway management, as well as affordable and accessible quality health care.
Million people are affected by Asthma and left without treatment, leading to misdiagnosis and premature deaths.
Early detection and first aid treatment are critical and can save lives. People living with Asthma are spreading at an alarming rate, and unless there is global cooperation and public awareness, these numbers will continue to rise.
On World Asthma Day, come and participate in events promoting asthma awareness. Take the opportunity to learn first aid for Asthma and know which steps to take in an asthma emergency.
