The World Lung Day on September 25 is a reminder to leave no one behind when creating access to prevention and treatment of lung disease. When you can’t breathe nothing else is important. You will hear about the difficulty with doing even normal activities in people having a diagnosis of asthma or COPD. People with simple to treat conditions such as allergies or bronchitis may also not know the true cause of their ailment. Almost 500 million people suffer from chronic respiratory diseases globally.
It is vital to create easy access to tobacco cessation services. As you may know tobacco is the primary killer of humans. Second hand tobacco smoke is a major cause of illness. We now have effective ways to help quit tobacco use.
Likewise as we have seen in this season of respiratory infections, many vaccines are available to prevent influenza, pneumonia and COVID19. Dust exposure, poor air quality, leaky walls with fungal growth as well as factory exposure to occupational chemicals can create serious lung problems.
Knowledge that is not translated to action is mere information. This World Lung Day let us aim to change our behavior for the benefit of all- try and speak to one friend or family member who uses tobacco or has a lung problem to see if you can help them breathe better. After all, we are on this journey together. Leave no one behind.
Dr Sai Praveen Haranath
Senior Consultant Pulmonologist & Critical Care Specialist
Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.