World Asthma Day is tomorrow

By Nadia Arandjelovic

In honour of World Asthma Day, Open Airways is looking to help the public breath a little easier by offering free asthma goods and education tomorrow at City Hall.

From 11.30am until 2.30pm, people can get free supplies to help with their condition, including spacers (an add-on device used to increase the ease of getting medication from an inhaler), pillows or microfibre cleaning cloths (while supplies last).

Liz Boden, President of Open Airways, said that while the freebies might get attract people to the event, it’s really the educational resources that are worth boasting about.

The information might “change or even save someone’s life,” she said.

“Asthma is a huge problem is Bermuda and is a big problem all over the world. They recognise that it has reached epidemic levels and don’t know why. Some say its due to pollution, or maybe diet or lifestyle.

“The truth is there could be many factors,” Ms Boden said. “Children aren’t outside running or throwing a ball anymore, electronic toys are far more attractive to them so they may not be training their lungs.

“People don’t think about exercising their lungs. They just take it for granted that they will keep breathing.”

One in 11 children in the United States has asthma; that number is as high as one in five in Bermuda. But Ms Boden insists that even those asthma sufferers don’t have to put up with regular attacks, if they take their medicines properly.

This year’s theme for World Asthma Day is: Why Wheeze when Asthma is Treatable?

Ms Boden said: “One of our big messages is that many people have asthma and think ‘I just have to accept that I cough, wheeze and every now and again I go to the hospital’. They think that’s normal, but it isn’t.

“The goal is that they are symptom free and don’t cough, wheeze or have a tight chest and can do full activity and don’t have to restrict themselves physically.”

This is possible if people take their preventer medication every day and avoid triggers (like household cleaning chemicals, dust and mould) whenever possible, she said.

People with asthma are encouraged to come to tomorrow’s event with their inhalers and get advice and information from local healthcare professionals.

They will be offered free spacers, pillows (seeing that ones older than a year are often full of mildew, mould and dust mites which can trigger an attack) or microfibre cleaning cloths (so they don’t have to use harsh chemicals).

There will also be local bands playing and choirs singing at points during the afternoon.

World Asthma Day is an annual event organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma to improve asthma awareness and care throughout the world.

It is recognised in 80 countries around the world, which celebrate in a host of different ways.

Useful website: www.openairways.com