Tue, May 07, 2024 page3

• Agency urges asthmatics not to ignore checkups

  • By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
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  Twenty-one percent of people with asthma in Taiwan do not go for regular medical follow-ups, despite the condition causing hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide each year, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday, ahead of World Asthma Day.

  World Asthma Day, held yearly on the first Tuesday of May, is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma, a WHO collaborative organization, to raise awareness about asthma worldwide, the agency said.

  The chronic long-term condition affects more than 260 million people worldwide and causes more than 450,000 deaths each year, it said.

  

  Health Promotion Administration Director-General Wu Chao-chun holds a sign in an undated photograph.

  Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times

  The theme of World Asthma Day this year is “Asthma Education Empowers,” which emphasizes the need to provide people with asthma the appropriate education to manage the lung disease, and to recognize when to seek medical help to avoid asthma attacks and complications, it said.

  An HPA survey conducted in 2021 showed that 21.6 percent of people aged 12 or older with asthma have had an attack in the past year, meaning one in every five people with the disease have poor control of their condition, the administration said.

  The survey also showed that 21 percent of people with asthma did not go for regular follow-ups according to their doctor’s suggestion, and 15.1 percent of them had been rushed to an emergency room as a result of an asthma attack.

  HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) said that people with asthma should complete their regular follow-up visits to assess their condition and reduce the risk of asthma exacerbation.

  The agency suggested three tips to keep asthma under control, including reducing asthma triggers, maintaining a well-balanced and healthy diet and regular physical activity, going to regular follow-up visits, and keeping up with medication.

  As common house dust, dust mites, mold, animal fur and feathers are common triggers for asthma symptoms, people should clean their homes regularly to reduce irritants, the HPA said.

  Tobacco smoke, weather changes, strong odors from perfumes, air fresheners and artificial scents can also trigger asthma symptoms, while wearing a mask can reduce the risk of an attack, it said.

  In general, people with asthma can participate in all types of exercise, such as walking and playing badminton, but should do so with intermittent periods of rest, and avoid exercising in cold and dry air or dusty environments, it said.

  Separately, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday announced that starting from yesterday, people can pick up a free pack of COVID-19 rapid test kits at more than 4,500 National Health Insurance-contracted pharmacies across the nation.

  The list of pharmacies can be found on the CDC’s Web site (https://gov.tw/q3W), it said, adding that the test kits are expected to arrive at all the pharmacies by today and be available by tomorrow.

  CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said the approximately 10 million rapid test kits have expiration dates as far as the end of this year, so people can pick up the packs of four or five kits at pharmacies as needed, but should not stockpile them.

  Tseng said the CDC had also provided free test kits at international airports and ports earlier this year, and as many remain in stock, the centers decided to maximize the effectiveness of the reserved test kits, and commissioned the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations to help distribute them to the contracted pharmacies to make them available for those who need them.
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