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World Asthma Day 2025: Date, origin, theme, significance — all you need to know

World Asthma Day 2025: Every year, the second Tuesday of May is celebrated as World Asthma Day to raise awareness about the condition and the danger it poses; this year, it's being marked on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

World Asthma Day 2025: As we mark the day today, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025; here's all you need to know. (Source: Freepik)

World Asthma Day 2025: Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease in which a person’s airways become inflamed, narrow, swell, and produce excess mucus, making it difficult to breathe, as defined by the NHLBI, NIH.

There are over 250 million individuals living with asthma worldwide, and in 2019, it was responsible for approximately 455,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

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As a result, every year, the second Tuesday of May is celebrated as World Asthma Day to raise awareness about the condition and the danger it poses.

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This year, World Asthma Day will be observed on Tuesday, 6 May 2025, with the theme ‘Make inhaled treatments accessible for all‘, emphasising the importance of ensuring that people diagnosed with asthma have access to inhaled medications, which are necessary both for controlling the disease and treating attacks.

Additionally, it also emphasises the significance of raising awareness, promoting early diagnosis, effective asthma management, and ensuring equitable access to treatment for all asthma-afflicted individuals. (Credit: ginaasthma.org)

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The first World Asthma Day, led by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), was observed in over 35 nations in 1998, coinciding with the first World Asthma Meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

With each World Asthma Day since then, participation has grown, and the day has emerged as one of the world’s most significant asthma awareness and education activities.

Around the world, World Asthma Day is celebrated with a range of events, such as free screening clinics, advocacy campaigns, educational programs, school programs, sporting events, and more. These initiatives seek to decrease avoidable asthma-related deaths, improve asthma management, and empower patients.