According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Asthma is a long-term condition affecting children and adults. In short, the air passages in the lungs become narrow due to inflammation and tightening of the muscles around the small airways, which causes asthma symptoms such as cough, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness.
Asthma is a significant noncommunicable disease (NCD) affecting children and adults and is the most common chronic disease among children. Per WHO estimates of 2019, Asthma affected an estimated 262 million people and caused 455000 deaths. It is also the fourth leading cause of death worldwide.
The condition has several risk factors and triggers that can affect patients, such as genetics, tobacco exposure, occupational exposure, air pollution, respiratory infection, and treatment adherence.
In Qatar, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday organised a virtual workshop for the health service providers in the public primary, preparatory and secondary schools participating in Asthma-Friendly Schools program for the academic year 2022-2023. According to officials, MoPH partners with all relevant institutions to optimise the life quality of students with Asthma in schools to ensure they obtain educational experiences similar to healthy students, reduce the rate of school absence among students with Asthma and improve their academic performance. They noted that the Asthma-Friendly Schools programme is implemented within this framework in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
Furthermore, the Head of the Asthma-Friendly School in Qatar Programme Dr. Maya Al Sheiba at MoPH, indicated that the programme represents a unique educational experience to allow students with Asthma to capitalise on the medical potential available and live in a normal social environment that primarily helps develop their skills and improves their life quality.
Senior Attending Physician at Sidra Medicine Dr. Mehdi Adeli pointed out that students with Asthma will be trained in schools by male and female nurses on the proper use of medications and spirometry devices and ways to deal with the triggers of Asthma in their schools and homes. They’ll also raise awareness to over 50,000 students on the core principles of Asthma, such as pathogens and its symptoms and identify its triggers to be avoided on school campuses.
In Qatar, around 19.8% of the population has Asthma. Elsewhere in the Gulf, approximately 24% of Saudis have Asthma. Kuwait has 16.8%, followed by 13% in the United Arab Emirates and 10% in Oman.
