Don't Hold Your Breathe For Asthma Strategy

Marking World Asthma Day on Tuesday, the Sinn Féin Health spokesperson has called on the Government to formulate a national strategy to address the condition.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said: "On World Asthma Day it is important that we acknowledge the impact of this condition which affects some 470,000 people in Ireland.

"It is a debilitating, often disabling and sometimes fatal condition that affects all age groups, but especially the very young and older people.

"Asthma makes major demands on the health services with over 25,000 people presenting with the condition at A&E units annually. There has been a very worrying increase in the incidence of the condition among teenagers."

Mr Ó Caoláin pointed out in his statement that the rate of asthma in Ireland is becoming a worrying statistic.

The spokesman for health and children said: "Given that Ireland now has the fourth highest rate of asthma in the world it is clear that a comprehensive Government-led strategy is needed."

"Such a strategy would shift the emphasis from the current dependence on crisis management and hospital care for asthma patients to pro-active disease management based in the primary care system."

Around one out of every ten people in the Western World develops asthma at some stage in their life.

The Asthma Society is hosting a public information meeting for people with asthma in the Davenport Hotel in Merrion Square, Dublin on Tuesday evening.

(DW/JM)