Advocating for Patients

Last year’s top Asthma Capital, Springfield, Massachusetts, is again the most challenging place in the U.S. to live with asthma. To get a better understanding of the asthma problem there, we talked with a local family, senator, allergist and city councilor.

Extreme weather, wildfires and coastal flooding are some of the visible impacts of climate change happening today. But did you know that climate change can also affect your allergies and allergic asthma?

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. Join us as we raise awareness about asthma and allergies. More than 25 million people in the U.S. with asthma. Ten people die every day from asthma. But with the right education and treatment, the deaths are preventable. Together, we can educate others about the seriousness of asthma.

In this essay, you’ll hear from Peter DeMarco of Boston, Massachusetts, who lost his wife, Laura Levis, to asthma. Boston ranks #8 on our 2019 Asthma Capitals report. It has such a high ranking because of a high number of people with asthma and asthma-related deaths.

To mark World Asthma Day, Representatives Eliot L. Engel (NY-16) and Fred Upton (MI-6) have introduced a bipartisan House Resolution designating the month of May as “National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.”

Happy 20th Birthday to the National Asthma Control Program (NACP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)! We are thrilled to see that our advocacy efforts are paying off. We applaud the House Appropriations Committee for approving the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2020 today to increase to program funding to $34 million. We hope the Senate will do the same.

On May 7, 2019, World Asthma Day, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) released its 2019 Asthma Capitals Report™. This report ranks the top 100 most challenging places in America to live with asthma.

April 29 – May 3 is Air Quality Awareness Week , sponsored by the NOAA National Weather Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Forest Service, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This year’s theme is “Check the AQI & Get Outside” to encourage everyone to check the Air Quality Index (AQI) regularly. Today’s focus is “Air Quality Around the World.” According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 91% of the world breathes polluted...

Asthma is the main reason why children miss school. In fact, children in the U.S. miss about 13.8 million school days each year due to asthma. Missing school can affect many children's grades and well-being. Controlling asthma triggers at home can help reduce asthma symptoms. But what about at school? If kids are exposed to triggers at school, managing asthma at home will be a losing battle. Children are the most affected by air pollution and poor indoor air quality. The Asthma and Allergy...

Join the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), American Lung Association, Allergy & Asthma Network and GroundTruth Films for a virtual film screening of “Asthma Alley,” a short documentary that follows a young teen with asthma and her classmates in the South Bronx, a neighborhood known for extraordinarily high rates of asthma.

On behalf of the more than 60 million Americans with asthma and allergies – many of whom depend on life-saving medications – the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) thanks President Trump for including pre-existing conditions and affordable health care in his State of the Union address.

On behalf of the more than 60 million Americans with asthma and allergies – many of whom depend on life-saving medications – the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) applauds Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Wyden for holding hearings on drug pricing in America. This series of hearings demonstrates the senators’ commitment to exploring the problem of overpriced medications in America.