On World Lung Day, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies calls for action to tackle global inequity in respiratory health
September 23, 2022
Glenview, IL - On World Lung Day, September 25, 2022, the Forum of International
Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which the American College of Chest
Physicians (CHEST) is a founding member, calls on governments worldwide
to address stark global inequalities in respiratory health.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have subsided, but its impact highlights a
global lung health crisis that has not gone away.
Respiratory illnesses affect people in all countries, but
disproportionally in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where
resources for research, prevention and management are scarce. 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.
Five respiratory diseases are the most common causes of illness and
death worldwide—COPD, asthma, acute respiratory tract infection or
pneumonia, TB and lung cancer.
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Lower respiratory tract infection or pneumonia is a leading
cause of mortality, accounting for more than 2.4 million
deaths every year, particularly among those in LMICs.
COVID-19 has dramatically increased deaths from pneumonia
globally.
FIRS asks that governments, health care workers and researchers
focus on three key issues to help reduce respiratory health
inequalities:
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The global burden of the major respiratory diseases and the
impact of COVID-19
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The importance of early detection and screening
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Reducing inequalities in screening, diagnosis, prevention
and treatment of lung conditions
“The theme for this World Lung Day is Lung Health for All. That’s why
we are calling on governments worldwide to work together to build
equitable capacity, infrastructure and resources,” said FIRS President,
Professor Heather Zar. “COVID has highlighted global inequities in
access to effective strategies for respiratory health. We have very
effective interventions to prevent and treat respiratory diseases, but
these are unavailable or unaffordable in many parts of the world.
Reducing inequality requires an integrated approach which incorporates
social, environmental, economic and medical initiatives. We have
effective interventions—but we must use these more equitably.”
About the Forum of International Respiratory Societies
The Forum of International Respiratory Societies
(FIRS) is an organisation 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.
FIRS comprises 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).
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 19,000+ 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.