Context:
- World Asthma Day is an annual event held on the first Tuesday in May, in collaboration with health care groups and asthma educators throughout the world.
- The day calls attention to the health issue and the struggles of asthma suffers.
- The goal is to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.
History:
- 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.
Why it is celebrated?
- GINA works with health care groups and asthma educators to reduce asthma “prevalence, morbidity, and mortality”.
- In a bid to improve the lives of people suffering from asthma, GINA collects evidence, conducts research and organizes events such as World Asthma Day.
Symptoms:
- Symptoms vary from person to person and in intensity, but generally, those symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure. Asthma sufferers often have recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing.
- Symptoms may occur several times a day or week and may become worse during physical activity or during the night.
The theme for World Asthma Day 2020 is ‘Enough Asthma Deaths’.
Future Officers 