LSTM is proud to have contributed to a global campaign to combat asthma being led by the Global Asthma Network, as they launch the Global Asthma Report 2018.
LSTM has contributed to the development and publication of The Global Asthma Report, which was launched in Helsinki, Finland, at the General Meeting of the Global Alliance Against Chronic Respiratory Diseases of the World Health Organisation (WHO) today. Through the work of IMPALA, an NIHR funded collaboration led by LSTM and Professor Kevin Mortimer’s Medical Research Council Global Challenges Research Fund project, Lung Health in Africa across the Lifecourse, LSTM has made authorship contributions to the report as well as supported the network and collaborations and secured funding towards the printing and distribution of the report.
Professor Mortimer said: “Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood and one of the most common chronic diseases in adulthood globally. Well over 300 million people have asthma, the vast majority of whom live in low- and middle-income countries where access to basic effective asthma care is limited. Highly effective asthma controller treatments have been available for half a century but are yet to reach the great majority of the world’s poor with asthma.”
The Report is an update on the state of asthma globally, including research data on asthma hospital admissions, mortality, prevalence, severity, and burden, risk factors and management. It contains 17 chapters, with up-to-date information and several key recommendations to WHO, Governments, Health Authorities, Health Professionals, Professional Societies and Patient Organisations.
“Lack of access to appropriate medicines contributes to up to 1000 avoidable deaths each day.” continued Professor Mortimer: “LSTM is leading and contributing to work as part of wide-reaching international multi-disciplinary collaborations to address this issue – we are proud to have contributed to the Global Asthma Report 2018 which we hope will feature prominently at the UN High Level Meeting on NCDs next month and help pave the way towards reducing global inequalities in access to basic effective treatments for asthma.”