World Health Day (7th April): 2010 is Year of the Lungs

[bobby ramakant]

World Health Day (7th April): 2010 is Year of
the Lungs
[Notes:
1) To read this post in Hindi language ,

click here
2) 7th of April is World Health Day, to read Urbanization
and Health in spotlight on World Health Day , click here 
]
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The year
2010 was declared as year of the lungs to recognize that hundreds
of millions of people around the world suffer each year from treatable
and preventable chronic
respiratory diseases. This initiative acknowledges that lung health has
long been neglected in public discourses, and understands the need to
unify different health advocates behind one purpose of lung health,
informed Dr Nils Billo, Chair of the Forum of International Respiratory
Societies (FIRS).

The FIRS partners include the International Union Against Tuberculosis and
Lung Disease (The Union), American Thoracic Society (ATS), Asian
Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR), Asociacion Latinoamericana de
Torax (ALAT), European Respiratory Society (ERS), Pan African Thoracic
Society and American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).

Earlier last year, the New York Times carried a series of articles on different
parts of human body, but forgot the lungs! It is difficult to remain
alive without lungs for more than few seconds!

The Declaration signed by the partners of the Forum of International
Respiratory Societies (FIRS) at the 40th Union World Conference on Lung
Health last year read as following:
[Begin]
WE NOTE WITH GRAVE CONCERN THAT:
Hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer each year from treatable
and preventable respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis (TB),
asthma, lung cancer, H1N1, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD).
WE RECOGNIZE THAT:
Despite the magnitude of suffering and death caused by lung disease, lung
health has long been neglected in public discourse and in public health
decisions.
WE CALL UPON OUR PARTNERS TO:
Enact smoking cessation legislation and programs to reduce the prevalence and
stigma of tobacco-related lung diseases.
[Ends]

There are a range of health and environmental factors that affect our lung
health. This includes tuberculosis (TB), tobacco smoke, biomass fuel
smoke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pneumonia among
other respiratory infections. The evidence of their potentially
devastating effects on global public health is increasing and they
require a coordinated approach for control. These diseases all occur in
predominantly resource-poor countries. They are perpetuated by poverty
and inadequate resources and their control and management require
coordinated approach among health programmes at all levels.

Statistically, there is 1 TB-related death that takes place every 18 seconds, 1 HIV
death every 16 seconds, 1 child dies of pneumonia every 15 seconds and
1 smoking-related death every 13 seconds. The enormous public challenge
posed by the combined epidemics of tobacco smoking, HIV, TB and COPD,
is undoubtedly alarming.

More than 2 billion people or a third of the world's total population, are
infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is now the
world's seventh-leading cause of death. It killed 1.8 million people
worldwide last year, up from 1.77 million in 2007. It is one of the
three primary diseases that are closely linked to poverty, the other
two being AIDS and malaria.

Tobacco smoking is unquestionably the primary risk factor for COPD. More than 5
million deaths are attributed to tobacco use every year. Smokers have
two fold higher risk of developing active TB disease. Tobacco smokers
have 2 times more risk of dieing of TB. Tobacco smoke increases the
risk of pneumonia, influenza, menningococcal meningitis, among others.
Evidence is accumulating that smoking is a risk factor for TB. However
there is no published data on the cellular interactions of tobacco
smoke and mycobacterium tuberculosis. The risk to develop active TB
disease is higher when tobacco smoking is combined with alcohol.

Dr Donald Enarson stressed that tobacco smoking cessation is an important
part of the comprehensive tobacco control programme, and not the only
part. So all components of the comprehensive tobacco control measures
should be implemented for improving public health outcomes. Dr Enarson
was referring to MPOWER report from Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) of
WHO which outlines the MPOWER package, a set of six key tobacco control
measures that reflect and build on the WHO Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control (FCTC, global tobacco treaty). Another delegates
remarked that MPOWER is in line with the global tobacco treaty - FCTC -
and we should be demanding implementation of the treaty to which
governments have committed to enforce. The WHO FCTC is the first public
health and corporate accountability treaty, said a delegate from India.
Comprehensive tobacco control programmes can yield major public health
outcomes, as 30% of male TB patients die of tobacco smoking.

Asthma is yet another major lung health challenge. It is a chronic disease
that affects airways. When people have asthma, the inside walls of
their airways become sore and swollen. That makes them very sensitive,
and they may react strongly to things that they are allergic to or find
irritating. When airways react, they get narrower and lungs get less
air. This can cause wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and trouble
breathing, especially early in the morning or at night. When asthma
symptoms become worse than usual, it's called an asthma attack. In a
severe asthma attack, the airways can close so much that vital organs
do not get enough oxygen. People can die from severe asthma attacks.

More than 300 million people around the world have asthma, and the disease
imposes a heavy burden on individuals, families, and societies. The
Global Burden of Asthma Report, indicates that asthma control often
falls short and there are many barriers to asthma control around the
world. Proper long-term management of asthma will permit most patients
to achieve good control of their disease. Yet in many regions around
the world, this goal is often not met. Poor asthma control is also seen
in the lifestyle limitations experienced by some people with asthma.
For example, in some regions, up to one in four children with asthma is
unable to attend school regularly because of poor asthma control.
Asthma deaths are the ultimate, tragic evidence of uncontrolled asthma.

According to the Global Burden of Asthma Report, the majority of asthma deaths in
some regions of the world are preventable. 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.

Pneumonia claims

two million children under five each year, yet no new drug,
vaccine or special diagnostic test is needed to save their lives. The
answers are at hand, and effective treatment is both inexpensive and
widely available.

Host
of other conditions that affect the lungs, are preventable, and often
treatable.

Let us hope that 2010 Year of The Lung initiative of FIRS succeeds in
putting the spotlight on the long neglected part of human body which
New York Times missed, the lungs.

Bobby Ramakant, CNS
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To
download or read the English 
version, go to:
http://www.citizen-news.org/2010/01/2010-is-year-of-lungs.html

To download or read the Hindi 
version, go to: http://hindi-cns.blogspot.com/2009/12/blog-post_24.html

7th of April is World Health Day, to read Urbanization

and Health in spotlight on World Health Day , click here 
or go to: http://www.citizen-news.org/2010/04/world-health-day.html

__._,_.___

The year 2010, is the year of the Lungs. For more information, go to: http://www.citizen-news.org/2010/01/2010-is-year-of-lungs.html