World Asthma Day 2024: Date, Theme, Activities, Quiz

World Astma Day 2024: The World Asthma Foundation, as well as the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLB) in the United States, promote World Asthma Day each year. For the past ten years, World Asthma Day has been observed. The day is frequently themed every year.

World Asthma Day was initially celebrated in Barcelona in connection with the first World Asthma Meeting, and has since evolved to become the largest international asthma event. The goal of the day is to raise awareness about asthma and how it affects those who suffer from it. Every year on the first Tuesday in May, the day is dedicated to raising awareness and funds for cancer patients and their families. This year World astma day is observed on May 07, 2024. Find more details here.

World Asthma Day 2024 Date

World Asthma Day is observed on the first Tuesday in May each year, and this year it falls on May 7, 2024.

World Asthma Day is an annual event aimed at raising awareness about asthma and improving the lives of people with asthma. The day aims to bring attention to the prevalence and impact of asthma on individuals, families, and communities worldwide. This day provides an opportunity for health organizations, healthcare professionals, and individuals affected by asthma to come together to discuss strategies for asthma prevention, management, and treatment. 

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease which causes breathing difficulties and affects sufferers to varying degrees, asthma is caused by swelling and inflammation of the bronchial tubes, sometimes in reaction to allergens, exercise, stress or changes in temperature. Symptoms of asthma include breathlessness, coughing, wheezing and a feeling of tightness in the chest. The symptoms vary according to the frequency and severity of the disease. Asthma is not usually curable but can be controlled to some extent, depending on how it affects the patient. The asthma can be controlled and the patients can live relatively in normal livelihood.

Asthma is controlled by prevention medication for chronic symptoms and relief medication for flare-ups of asthma symptoms. Proper education and understanding are keys to control asthma effectively, which can be fatal if not managed properly. World Asthma Day educates and raises awareness of the condition in the hope of relieving suffering and reducing deaths.

World Asthma Day 2024 Theme

The theme for World Asthma Day in 2024, which is celebrated annually on the first Tuesday of May, is “Asthma Education Empowers”. This year’s theme highlights the importance of educating people about asthma, its causes, triggers, and how to manage it effectively. The goal is to empower individuals with asthma to take control of their condition and make informed decisions about their health. This theme also emphasizes the role of healthcare providers, educators, and advocates in providing support and resources to individuals with asthma. By educating the public about asthma, we can reduce the burden of this chronic disease and improve the quality of life for those affected by it.

History of World Asthma Day 2024

World Asthma Day was established in 1998; the first event was set to coincide with the first World Asthma Meeting (WAM) in Barcelona, Spain. Over 35 countries were involved. By time, World Asthma Day has grown and it is widely recognized as the world’s most important asthma awareness event. The events were held with the support of World Asthma Foundation. As with many other awareness events, a theme will be set for this day which provides a focus for activities. World Asthma Day is supported by the organization GINA, the Global Initiative for Asthma which works with health care groups around the world to help raise awareness. GINA is an initiative taken by the US based National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLB). World Asthma Day is also supported by the World Asthma Foundation (WAF). During previous World Asthma Days, the theme had been ‘Reduce The Burden Of Asthma’. The asthma patients were made aware of the safety measurements or positive steps they can take to help them cope with their condition.

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Objectives of World Asthma Day 2024

Steps that can be followed to manage Asthma.

1. Personal asthma management plan prepared with help of a doctor. The doctor should make aware of the patient regarding each medication to be taken at certain times during a day and what happens if he did not take the medicines.
2. Educate yourself about the risk factors of asthma which cause the condition of the patient worse.
3. Teach them to recognize the symptoms and to take medication on proper interval of time.
4. The patient should carry a prescription regarding their Asthma details.

‘You Can Control Your Asthma’, this was the theme in the year of 2012. This theme was put forth or initiated by GINA to reduce worldwide asthma hospitalizations by half.

What is the Significance of World Asthma Day 2024?

The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) chooses a topic each year and oversees the creation and distribution of World Asthma Day activities and materials. It also manages the World Asthma Day Internet Headquarters, which houses a library of resources for download as well as a comprehensive schedule of events taking place around the world.

Importance of World Asthma Day 2024

According to the Global Asthma Report 2018, over 1000 individuals die every day from asthma. The figures are alarming, and they demand widespread public knowledge, inexpensive and high-quality healthcare, and a coordinated worldwide response. Every year, more than 300 million individuals are diagnosed with asthma, and the majority of cases go undiagnosed, resulting in premature death. Early detection and treatment, both of which require awareness, can save lives. The numbers are growing every year, and the sickness will continue to spread unless there is worldwide cooperation and universal awareness. This is why World Asthma Day is so important.

Asthma Care Gaps

There are several gaps in asthma care that need to be addressed in order to reduce avoidable suffering and the costs of treating uncontrolled asthma.

The following are some of the current asthma care gaps:

• access to diagnosis and treatment on an equal footing (medicine)
• care for people from various socioeconomic, racial, and age groups
• between groups and countries that are prosperous and those that are destitute;
• spanning the primary/secondary/tertiary care interaction in communication and care
• in the information and education provided to asthmatic patients (quality of asthma care plans vs)
• between health care providers in asthma knowledge and asthma awareness
• Prioritization of asthma and other long-term illnesses
• between giving inhalers and keeping track of adherence and capacity to utilize them;
• exist to raise awareness and knowledge of asthma as a chronic (not acute) condition among the general public (non-asthmatics) and health care professionals.
• There is a disconnect between scientific evidence and practical asthma care practice.

The distribution of annually updated evidence-based GINA strategy documents can help to close some of these gaps.
However, putting scientific evidence-based suggestions into practice is difficult all around the world. Not all local solutions are universally applicable, and not all global proposals are universally relevant.
This year’s topic challenges international respiratory communities to collaborate with colleagues, patients, and health-care providers to discover and solve gaps in asthma care, as well as to help implement and share creative solutions locally and globally.

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World Asthma Day 2024 Activities

GINA offers a variety of free materials for health care organizations, charities, and members of the general public who want to organize their own World Asthma Day awareness activities. Activities for World Asthma Day could include:

• Hospitalizations or free asthma screening clinics at a nearby surgeon
• putting together media adverts (radio, TV, internet)
• facilitating discussions regarding local variables that may affect asthma patients
• establishing a toll-free asthma helpline
• Using games to teach children about asthma in a fun way

Sponsored activities such as walks, swims, and runs are all good ideas for revenue generating events.

World Asthma Day Quiz 2024

How many people suffer from asthma worldwide?

1. 235 million people
2. 334 million people
3. 420 million people

Ans: 235 million people

Which of the following types of drugs are currently not used to treat asthma?

1. β2 agonists
2. Steroids
3. Monoclonal antibodies
4. Antibiotics

Ans: Antibiotics

What is the overall cost of persistent asthma per patient in Italy between 2013 and 2015?

1. 950.14 €
2. 1,290.89 €
3. 3,500.76 €

Ans: 1,290.89 €

What modifiable risk factors affect asthma in women?

1. Obesity
2. Smoking Status
3. Low yearly household income
4. All the above

Ans: All the above

How many people die of asthma each year?

1. 100000
2. 400000
3. 250000

Ans: 250000

Asthma can affect vascular function in children and adolescents: true or false?

1. True
2. False

Ans: True

The prevalence of asthma in low and middle-income countries has generally been:

1. Decreasing
2. Increasing
3. Unchanged

Ans: Increasing

Which of the following surgical procedures are currently used to treat asthma?

1. A lung transplants
2. Bronchial thermoplasty
3. Pneumonectomy
4. Bullectomy

Ans: Bronchial thermoplasty

Obstructive sleep apnoea may exacerbate asthma symptoms

1. True
2. False

Ans: True

Perimenstrual asthma attacks are related to:

1. High levels of oestrogens enhancing bronchial hyper-reactivity and inflammation
2. High levels of progesterone enhancing bronchial hyper-reactivity and inflammation
3. Decline in oestradiol and progesterone levels triggering mast-cells and eosinophil degranulation
4. Sex hormones are not involved in perimenstrual asthma attacks

Ans: Decline in oestradiol and progesterone levels triggering mast-cells and eosinophil degranulation