World Lung Day 2023
September 25, 2023
GLENVIEW, IL - This World Lung Day, September 25, the Forum of International
Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which the American College of Chest
Physicians (CHEST) is a founding member, is calling on governments and
health care providers worldwide to give equitable access to preventative
services and treatments for respiratory conditions and lifesaving
pneumonia vaccines for children.
The theme for this year’s World Lung Day is “Access to Prevention and
Treatment for All. Leave No One Behind,” reflecting the commitment to
equity that is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This commitment is especially crucial given that
80% of noncommunicable disease-related deaths
occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This huge health
burden could be prevented by implementing cost-effective interventions,
such as vaccination against pneumonia and improved access to
preventative services and inhaled medicines.
The availability of inhaler therapies is far from the target of
achieving 80% availability of essential medicines to combat
noncommunicable diseases, including asthma, COPD and lung cancer.
Health care access equity is equally crucial for respiratory
infections, including tuberculosis. Through equal access to early
detection, treatment can begin as soon as possible, effectively
reducing the health burden of both respiratory infections and
noncommunicable respiratory conditions.
FIRS has identified three key target areas to tackle inequalities in
the fight against respiratory disease: Improving access to
preventative services and stop-smoking treatments, expanding access
to inhalation therapies and strengthening access to effective
pneumonia vaccines for children. Despite global progress in
pneumonia vaccine access, 40% of infants are still left behind.
To reduce the global burden of respiratory diseases, it's crucial to
take action in these key areas.
Access to preventative services and stop-smoking treatments
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Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of respiratory
diseases, including COPD, lung cancer and asthma, and it
increases the risk of respiratory infections, such as
pneumonia and tuberculosis.
-
Exposure to tobacco smoke harms children even before birth.
Reducing exposure to tobacco smoke helps improve children’s
long-term lung health.
-
Educational, counselling and pharmacological interventions
for smoking cessation are effective. They should be
available for anyone who smokes.
Expanding access to devices and inhalation therapies
-
Effective and essential inhaled medicines for treating
asthma and COPD are often unavailable and unaffordable in
LMICs. We need urgent collective global action to achieve
the
World Health Organization’s target of 80% availability of essential medicines
to treat major noncommunicable diseases.
-
Respiratory devices and inhalational therapies, including
oxygen therapy, should be available to anyone who is affected.
Access for all children to effective, affordable preventative
interventions for pneumonia
-
Pneumonia is the leading cause of death from infection in
children worldwide. Prevention is vital, as any severe lower
respiratory tract infection can affect lung development.
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Vaccines are
critically important to prevent bacterial and viral
cases of pneumonia, reducing illness, death and national health care
expenditure. They should be a priority for all children and adults.
-
Access to newer vaccines, especially pneumococcal conjugate
vaccine (PCV), must be strengthened. While it is encouraging
to see global progress in PCV coverage,
40% of infants are still missing out.
-
Full coverage of PCV can prevent the death of 1.6 million children
under 5 years by 2030.
Further information
About the American College of Chest Physicians
The American College of Chest Physicians® (CHEST) is the global
leader in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases.
Its mission is to champion advanced clinical practice, education,
communication and research in chest medicine. It serves as an
essential connection to clinical knowledge and resources for its
22,000+ members from around the world who provide patient care in
pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. For information about
the American College of Chest Physicians, and its flagship journal
CHEST®, visit
chestnet.org.
About the Forum of International Respiratory Societies
The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is a
collaborative organization consisting of the world's foremost
international respiratory societies. Comprising over 70,000 members
globally, FIRS is dedicated to advancing lung health on a global scale.
FIRS is composed of prestigious respiratory societies, including the
American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), American Thoracic
Society (ATS), the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR),
Asociación Latinoamericana de Tórax (ALAT), European Respiratory
Society (ERS), International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung
Disease (The Union), Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS), the Global
Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and the Global Initiative for Chronic
Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD).