Media Contact:
Mike Hess, Communications Director,
Forum of International Respiratory Societies, Michael.hess@med.wmich.edu.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND (25 September 2017) – The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) has coordinated the first World Lung Day, September 25, which asserts that the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals will not succeed without more attention to the burden of lung disease as outlined in their recent report The Global Impact of Respiratory Disease. FIRS calls for public support of respiratory health as a main action on World Lung Day.
"Respiratory diseases impose an immense worldwide health burden. Five of these diseases are among the most common causes of severe illness and death worldwide – COPD, asthma, acute lower tract infections, tuberculosis, and lung cancer. FIRS aims to raise awareness, improve prevention and control, and cure these diseases. Promotion of respiratory health must be a top priority in global decision-making in the public health sector. We hope World Lung Day will provide an opportunity for action, conversation, and awareness," said Dean Schraufnagel, MD, Executive Director of FIRS.
Global public health goals must prioritize lung health:
Emergency preparedness must be centered on the lungs as so many causative agents are disseminated through the air. For example, outbreaks of viral pandemics hit the lungs first, and most chemical and biologic weapons enter the body through the lungs.
FIRS calls for these essential actions to reduce the burden of respiratory disease and improve global health:
"While respiratory disease has a tremendous impact on the world's population, it also is largely preventable," concluded Dr Schraufnagel. "Investing the resources necessary to prevent and cure these diseases is a cost-effective investment that benefits the entire world. Public policy makers in the healthcare sector need to recognize the size of the problem and take concrete steps now to improve global lung health."
To learn more about World Lung Day and how individuals can support this effort, please visit www.firsnet.org.
About the Forum of International Respiratory Societies
The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is an organization consisting of the world's leading international respiratory societies working together to improve lung health globally: the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), American Thoracic Society (ATS), Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR), Asociación Latinoamericana De Tórax (ALAT), European Respiratory Society (ERS), International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (The Union), Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS), Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). The goal of FIRS is to unify and enhance efforts to improve lung health through the combined work of its organizations and their more than 70,000 members globally. Learn more at firsnet.org.