The theme for World Lung Day (Sept. 25) this year is "Health for All". The Canadian Lung Association encourages you to learn more about the global inequalities in lung disease prevention, research and treatment.
Respiratory illnesses affect people in all countries, but disproportionally in low- and middle-income countries where resources for research, prevention and management are scarce. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted global inequities in access to effective strategies for respiratory health. To address such inequity, we must look beyond medical care to the social and environmental determinants of health such as tobacco use, air pollution, climate change and poverty.
The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is using World Lung Day as an opportunity to call on governments worldwide to address the stark global inequalities in respiratory health. FIRS asks that governments, healthcare workers and researchers focus on three key issues to help reduce respiratory health inequalities:
- The global burden of the major respiratory diseases and the impact of COVID-19;
- The importance of early detection and screening; and
- Reducing inequalities in screening, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of lung conditions.
Want to know more?
The Global Impact of Respiratory Disease report outlines major causes of respiratory disease, including lung cancer, and lays out recommendations for global action.
FIRS Lung Health Fact Sheet is a quick reference guide to the impact of the ‘big five’ respiratory diseases.
FIRS / World Health Organization joint World Lung Day webinar - Respiratory disease in the era of COVID: A global perspective on 22 September, 14:00 - 15:30 CEST. Register here https://bit.ly/FIRSWHO
The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is an organization comprised of the world's leading international respiratory societies working together to improve lung health globally. The goal of FIRS is to unify and enhance efforts to improve lung health through the combined work of its more than 70,000 members globally.
