May is asthma and allergy awareness month and Community Health Charities joins members American Lung Association and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America in raising awareness of the seriousness of asthma and allergies.
Allergic disease, including allergic asthma, is the country's most common and costly illness. Approximately 38 percent of all Americans suffer from some sort of allergic condition. Allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in children, limiting activities in more than 40 percent of these children. An estimated two million school days are lost each year due to allergies, with an indirect cost reaching $4 billion.
World Asthma Day and Asthma Awareness Month
Asthma remains a significant public health problem in the United States. It is estimated that almost 25 million Americans currently have asthma, including 7.1 million children.
Asthma is the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15 and is a leading cause of school absences from chronic disease, accounting for over 10 million lost school days each year. More tragically, asthma claims the lives of more than 3,000 Americans a year, approximately nine people per day.
With the proper medical support and medications, you can learn to control your asthma and live an active and demanding life. This is the theme of this year’s World Asthma Day, May 3: "You Can Control Your Asthma." May is also Asthma Awareness Month.
The American Lung Association and Asthma
The American Lung Association has educated children about asthma for almost 20 years. Each year, tens of thousands of children participate in Open Airways For Schools, a program that teaches them how to manage their asthma. In 2007, Lung Association also launched Breathe Well, Live Well: An Asthma Management Program for Adults nationwide. Learn more about the many programs and tools to help people with asthma thrive by visiting www.lung.org.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America provides support groups, advocacy, workshops, educational materials and more. Please visit www.asthmaandallergies.org for more information.
Source: American Lung Association and Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
The Health Matters at Work health and wellness program developed by Community Health Charities brings employers and employees together, so both can benefit from the combined strength of the nation’s most trusted health charities.
Follow us on Twitter @healthcharities and connect to credible health information, local volunteer opportunities and charitable giving that make it easier to support the health causes most important to you and your family.
