World Asthma Day 2021: History, Theme and Significance

New Delhi: World Asthma Day is celebrated every year on the first Tuesday of May.

The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) in collaboration with health care groups and asthma educators, organizes events to spread awareness and care around this respiratory disease.

History of World Asthma Day

World Asthma Day was first celebrated in 1998 in more than 35 countries along with the first World Asthma Meeting held in Barcelona, Spain.

Theme of World Asthma Day 2021

The theme for this year World Asthma Day is ‘Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions’. The theme aims to address and bust widely held myths and misconceptions concerning asthma that hinders people suffering from the disease to enjoy life to the fullest, despite advancement in medical science.

Significance of World Asthma Day

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “People with under-treated asthma can suffer sleep disturbance, tiredness during the day, and poor concentration. Asthma sufferers and their families may miss school and work, with financial impact on the family and wider community. If symptoms are severe, people with asthma may need to receive emergency health care and they may be admitted to hospital for treatment and monitoring. In the most severe cases, asthma can lead to death.”

Hence, it is vital to raise awareness and mobilize resources to fight asthma.