World Asthma Day Is Celebrated On 6 May 2025
Verified By
KIMS-SUNSHINE
Specialist,
03 May, 2025
Asthma is a medical condition that is characterised by the inability of a person to breathe normally. It affects scores of individuals on a global scale, while its incidence is increasing in India- estimates show that about 35 million Indians deal with asthma in one capacity or another. What is worse- most cases (about 70%) remain undiagnosed. Asthma can come in acute or chronic forms and can affect quality of daily life, if not managed properly. Since it is a preventable condition in most cases, it is time we learn about preventive measures. If you suffer from asthma, it is high time you know how to deal with it too. World Asthma Day is celebrated precisely for these 2 reasons, though other goals are added regularly.
Why Celebrate World Asthma Day?
World Asthma Day was first celebrated in 1998, by an organization called Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), which is an offshoot of WHO. The first World Asthma Day was organised on the same day as the World Asthma Meeting, held in Barcelona that year. Since then, it was decided that the first Tuesday of May every year would be celebrated as World Asthma Day, with a specific theme for each year. This year, it was celebrated on May 6 2025. Asthma is easily preventable in most cases, yes, but people don’t really know what asthma is, in the first place. How would they know how to prevent a condition when they don’t know such a thing even exists? This is why GINA is an important global initiative to help people understand how to prevent and treat asthma. The other problem normally encountered is- people may get diagnosed but don’t have the resources to deal with it. Asthma is a well known healthcare system burden and utilises lots of resources, with no end in sight. It is hence a priority of doctors and healthcare systems to improve quality of life in the long run.
Theme For This Year-
The theme for 2025 is ‘Making Inhalable Treatments Accessible For All’ has been used to outline approaches to help affected individuals get the treatment they need, at nominal costs. Severe and chronic asthma sufferers tend to spend quite a lot of money and time, trying to get proper treatment- which can be in the form of simple bronchodilators or more expensive corticosteroid based sprays or capsules. Many organisations thus believe that treating asthma at the right time can help improve participation in the labour market, improve daily quality of life and reduce mortality in large numbers.
Asthma In India- Outlook
With a majority of cases being undiagnosed, it is time we see why that happens. In India, pollution, smoking, second hand smoke, obesity and other lifestyle related factors have been known to increase the incidence of asthma. India has one of the highest disease burdens in the world, according to a recent Global Burden of Disease Report published in 2022. Timely diagnosis and treatment are 2 approaches that need to be worked on substantially to help improve prognosis in the long run.
Conclusion
World Asthma Day is celebrated with great rigour every year, by the medical community and global organisations on the first Tuesday of every May. It is a thematic event and focuses on one particular aspect every year- so the themes have ranged from general education and awareness to learning about preventive measures, understanding treatment approaches and looking at ways to reduce asthma related mortality on a global scale. Diagnosis can happen any time, but timely management of symptoms is crucial to preserve quality of life.
