World Asthma Day 2018: Never too early, never too late

May 1: Today is the 20th annual World Asthma Day, an event held each May to raise awareness of Asthma worldwide. World Asthma Day is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma, or GINA (www.ginasthma.org), a World Health Organization collaborative and 501(c)3 organization founded in 1993.
This year’s World Asthma Day theme is “NEVER TOO EARLY, NEVER TOO LATE. It’s always the right time to address airways disease.” The theme provides a call to action for both patients and healthcare providers worldwide to evaluate symptoms regardless of the timepoint in one’s life they may occur and take actions to ensure that the asthma is controlled.
World Asthma Day was first held in 1998, and has grown each year to become one of the most important Asthma events globally. 

http://ginasthma.org/

Key facts 

• Asthma is one of the major noncommunicable diseases. It is a chronic disease of the the air passages of the lungs which inflames and narrows them.
• Some 235 million people currently suffer from asthma. It is a common disease among children.
• Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.
• According to the latest WHO estimates, released in December 2016, there were 383000 deaths due to asthma in 2015.
• The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are inhaled substances and particles that may provoke allergic reactions or irritate the airways.
• Medication can control asthma. Avoiding asthma triggers can also reduce the severity of asthma.
• Appropriate management of asthma can enable people to enjoy a good quality of life.

WHO FACT SHEET (31 August 2017)