30 April - Health - Tomorrow is World Asthma Day

In today's show, we spoke to Professor Eric Bateman - Chairperson of the International Board of the Global Initiative for Asthma. Tomorrow is World Asthma Day and the theme this year is “You can control your asthma”. World Asthma Day is a global, annual awareness-raising event organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma and supported and endorsed in South Africa by the National Asthma Education Programme. The theme was chosen to emphasize that effective asthma treatments exist and, with proper diagnosis, education, and treatment, the great majority of asthma patients can achieve and maintain good control of their disease. When asthma is under control, patients can live full and active lives and can prevent emergency visits to the hospital. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, affecting more than 300 million people world-wide. Asthma is characterized by symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness and coughing.  However, asthma experts do know that with proper treatment most asthma patients can achieve good control of their disease. In South Africa, the National Asthma Education Campaign collaborates with an international body and is tasked with the responsibility to disseminate globally accepted asthma treatment guidelines and implement asthma related patient education. For more information visit your nearest hospital or clinic alternatively go to http://www.ginasthma.com/ or http://www.asthma.co.za/ alternatively contact 0861 asthma (278462).