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Asthma is a chronic respiratory or lung disease, usually of allergic origin that inflames and narrows the airways.This disorder is characterized by wheezing, (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning. Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts in childhood. Asthma is caused by environmental and genetic factors. Environmental factors include pollution, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone, cold temperatures, high humidity, indoor air pollution from mould or noxious fumes from household cleaners and paints, nitrogen oxide from gas stoves. Asthma affects 7% of the population of the United States and 300 million worldwide. Asthma kills about 255,000 people worldwide every year. To raise awareness regarding this deadly disease World Asthma Day is observed annually. It takes place on the first Tuesday of May.
World Asthma Day is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) in collaboration with health care groups and asthma educators to raise awareness about asthma and improve asthma care throughout the world. GINA was launched in 1993 in collaboration with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA, and the World Health Organization. GINA is also one of the founding participants in the World Health Organization's Global Alliance Against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD). GINA works to improve the lives of people with asthma in every corner of the globe. The first World Asthma Day, in 1998, was celebrated in more than 35 countries in conjunction with the first World Asthma Meeting held in Barcelona, Spain. Participation has increased with each World Asthma Day held since then, and the day has become one of the world's most important asthma awareness and education events.
Each year GINA chooses a theme and organizes preparation and distribution of World Asthma Day materials and resources. World Asthma Day activities are organized in each country by health care professionals, educators, and members of the public who want to help reduce the burden of asthma. On this day governmental and non-governmental organisations organise programs which include fundraising, free-of-charge asthma screening, display of asthma information and treatments, advertisement highlighting the meaning of asthma control and strategies to improve control etc.
