March 4, 2008 — While asthma is generally considered a manageable disease, natural occurrences unique to the territory, such as the annual release of Sahara dust or pollen into the atmosphere, are making asthma a more common and chronic ailment in the Virgin Islands, according to Lt. Gov. Gregory R. Francis.
Francis held a press conference Tuesday to announce the launch of a new asthma-awareness campaign called Helping Virgin Islanders Breathe Easier, a movement that has already taken root on the national level. The goal of the campaign, he said, is to educate residents about how asthma can be controlled and treated.
"Every day, hundreds of Virgin Islanders are challenged by the simple act of drawing life-sustaining air into their lungs," Francis said. "Today, this campaign is part of a large nationwide effort to educate families about asthma, so they can help their children have a less-stressful time growing into healthy adults."
Twenty million people on the mainland are affected by asthma, Francis said. On any given day, 40,000 of them will miss work or school because of their condition. Of that amount, about 30,000 will have an asthma attack, Francis said, while about 5,000 will be taken to the emergency room.
Statistics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicate that 12 million people experienced an asthma attack in the past year. Asthma is also the third-ranking cause of hospitalization for children under 15, statistics say.
African-Americans are visiting emergency rooms, getting hospitalized and dying from asthma at a rate 350 percent higher than white Americans, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control.
On the local level, the territory's two asthma clinics are also seeing an influx of patients, Dr. Audria Thomas said later in the press conference. Of those patients, 66 percent are children and 33 percent are adults. As of seven years ago, at least 1,500 of the territory's children had asthma, Thomas said.
While the disease is treatable, at least five or six asthma-related deaths have occurred territory wide during 2005 and 2006, said Health Commissioner Vivian Ebbesen-Fludd.
"It is now time for us to educate the community and those suffering with asthma about the disease and its triggers," she said. "Most of our asthma-related deaths occur in young males between the ages of 19 and 35. But it is now becoming more of a community issue and, therefore, the community should become more involved in the process."
Asthma is a lung disease characterized by the narrowing of a person's bronchial tubes because of a buildup of mucus, Thomas said. In the territory, asthma symptoms are generally seen during Sahara-dust season, and can also be caused by certain grasses and molds, Thomas said. Certain emotions, such as laughing or crying, can also trigger attacks, she said.
As part of the educational campaign, Thomas said, the Lieutenant Governor's Office will sponsor a series of events over the next few months in conjunction with the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, the American Lung Association and CIGNA. The health-insurance company has also helped to cover the cost of certain equipment, including a large batch of peak-flow meters that monitor lung function and wallet-size monitors, which will be handed out to government employees and other residents during asthma fairs May 10 in both districts.
"We hope that the information that will be made available through this campaign will be useful and might help you save a life — maybe even your own," said Cheryl Francis, the lieutenant governor's wife. "And we hope it results in a healthier Virgin Islands community."
For more information on the campaign, call the Lieutenant Governor's Office at 774-2991, ext. 4110.
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