Sri Lanka has been listed among the many countries in the world suffering from asthma, Sri Lanka Respiratory Disease Specialists’ Association President Dr. Neranjan Dissanayake said.

He said between 10% and 15% of the country’s population suffers from asthma, and it affects children, young adults and the elderly with great mental and physical discomfort.

If asthma is not controlled properly, it can even lead to death. About 95% of asthma patients can be controlled with simple, very cost-effective, high-performance medications, Dr. Dissanayake said.

But, unfortunately, around 500,000 people worldwide die from asthma every year, he said.

This year, Asthma Day falls on 7th May and an awareness programme has been organized by the Association of Respiratory Disease Specialists, Dr. Dissanayake said.