02 Nov 2017
AstraZenca partners with Unjani Clinics to improve management of asthma
By Staff Writer
Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that 235 million people currently suffer from asthma globally. An under-diagnosed and under-treated non-communicable disease, some 383,0001 deaths were attributed to asthma in 2015 alone. Although a public health problem that affects all countries regardless of income, most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries. Speaking at an AstraZeneca World Asthma Day event, Academic head of the Critical Care Division at WITS, Professor Guy Richards, said that South Africa has a high asthma mortality rate because many patients don’t go for treatment and when they do they are misdiagnosed and prescribed antibiotics.
