EVENTS: World Asthma Day – Objectives, Facts, Ideas on World Asthma Day Celebrations.

When it is celebrated

World Asthma Day is observed on the first Tuesday in the month of May.

Why it is celebrated

The day is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.

The other participant organizers are World Health Organization and US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Every year on the day GINA selects a theme and systematizes preparation and distribution of World Asthma Day materials and resources.

Many activities are organized all over the world by health care professionals, educators, and general public who want to actively participate on the World Asthma Day.

Initiation

The World Asthma Day was celebrated for the first time in 1998 in many countries. It was in concurrence with the first World Asthma Meeting.

The meeting was held in Barcelona, Spain in 1998.

Since, then participation has augmented on each World Asthma Day and the day has become one of the most important asthma awareness and attention paying event in the world.

2008 Celebration

This year World Asthma Day 2008 will be held on Tuesday, May 6. This year the focus will be on the positive theme and idea that is: “You Can Control Your Asthma.”

This theme is chosen as it is unfailing with the emphasis on asthma control.

This latest GINA guideline will help to spread the word that “asthma control” should be the goal of treatment and it can be achieved in the majority of asthma patients with appropriate management.

Objectives of celebrations

The primary objective is to create awareness of the disease, its proper care, preventive measures amongst the general public, health care providers, workers as well as government officials.

There are a huge number of people who suffer from asthma and its sudden attacks.

So to prevent these fatal attacks and lessen the pain and sufferings of the asthma patients as well as their family members by providing the best available medical help is the primary goal of the day.

The acquaintance to the recent research and development in medical facilities and medicinal help for the disease is the aim of the organizers.

There are various free health checkup survey and camps organized for the patients, by the topmost laboratories on the day.

Facts about Asthma

Asthma is one of the chronic diseases in the world.

There are about 40 million Indians who are suffering from the disease and the numbers are raising everyday.

In recent years there has been a global increase in the Number of people having the disease among both children as well as adults.

One of the basic reason of the disease is the modern urbanization and increase in atmospheric pollution.

One in every 250 deaths worldwide is due to asthma.

We must know that 90% of these deaths are preventable if the patient is not delayed in seeking help and treatment strategies, due to the lack of education and awareness about the disease.

The Asthmatic patients are not only because of the hereditary factors but also due to the various socio- economic factors which should be prevented through awareness in children as well as adults.

Awareness can improve asthma care throughout the world

We should know the attack can be seasonal and even a breath of fresh air can turn you asthmatic as the pollen count in the atmospheric air is high.

So you should be extremely cautions during the change of season.

Ideas on celebration

There are many activity ideas that can be followed by the people on the day.

One can produce an advertisement on radio or television highlighting World Asthma Day, explaining the meaning of asthma control.

You can tell the strategies to improve control.

You can organize debates about the major issues affecting and aggravating asthma e.g., pollution, smoking, other socio-economic factors like poor access to asthma care and medication in lower class majority.

So, if each one of us tries out some of these activities, it can lead to major contribution for the disease.