Bhubaneswar: World Asthma Day is observed every year on the first Tuesday of May to make people aware of the dreadful chronic disease which is commonly found in every second household in the world. The Global Initiative For Asthma (GINA), formed back in 1993 has been observing this day since 1998 to educate people about its causes and early treatment for leading a better life.
The theme for World Asthma Day, 2024 released by GINA is “Asthma Education Empowers”. The primary objective is to spread asthma treatment & preventive measures related to education amongst the larger masses, especially the common people.
Asthma is one of the most widely known chronic non-communicable diseases with approximately more than 300 million current sufferers worldwide as per the National Institute of Health (NIH), USA. The disease also has a potential increase rate of 50% every decade.
People affected with asthma struggle while breathing as well as experience fatigue and weakness due to a lack of ability to breathe normally. This also affects their quality of sleep cycle increasing emotional stress and drowsiness. It also hampers the ability to do labour-intensive work and sports and even makes the other day-to-day regular job tiresome.
In 2019, it affected an estimated 292 million people and caused 4,55,000 deaths worldwide, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).
India despite having modern healthcare facilities and adequate resources to curve asthma, stands at the top position when it comes to several asthmatic patients. According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Report 2019, India ranks number one in the world in terms of burden, disability-adjusted life years and asthma-related deaths. Nearly, 42% of global asthma deaths occur in India despite being 13% of the world’s population with asthma as per the report.
The chronic disease can be controlled with mild exercise, yoga and timely medication through the nasal and oral mediums. If detected at the earlier stages one can lead a normal life with the right treatment, right diet and self-care.
