7th May – World Asthma Day
Author and institutional affiliation: Yasiini Nuwamanya, Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Uganda National Institute of Public Health, Kampala. Correspondence: Tel: 256773120564, Email: ynuwamanya@uniph.go.ug
Every year, 1st Tuesday of May, countries commemorate the World Asthma to raise awareness of Asthma in their communities.
The theme of this year’s World Asthma Day celebration is “Asthma Education Empowers”.
Emphasis will be put on the need to empower people with asthma with the appropriate education to manage their disease, and recognize when to seek medical help.
Asthma is a disease that affects lungs and causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing.
It is a leading chronic non-communicable disease globally, affecting about 260 million people and causing over 450000 deaths each year.
Health care professionals are also called upon to increase their awareness of the continuing avoidable morbidity and mortality from asthma, and effective management of asthma, to provide reliable information and optimal treatment for their patients.
