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Asthma is one of the most common chronic health conditions in the United States. An estimated 15 million people in America alone suffer from its effects and nearly 5,000 people die from the disease each year. Between 1980 and 1996, the percentage of Americans with asthma doubled, and the percentage of preschool age children with asthma increased 118 percent. In addition, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health estimates that the cost of asthma to society was $12.7 billion in 2000.

HHS' National Asthma Education and Prevention Program at NHLBI is the U.S. Coordinator for World Asthma Day and has created "Communities Working for Life and Breath" as the nation's theme.

In keeping with the theme of this event, we at HHS are committed to reaching out to the public about the importance of disease prevention and health promotion - and about the steps that individuals, families and communities can take to protect themselves. As a part of that commitment, the President's fiscal year 2003 budget for HHS includes the Healthy Communities Innovation Initiative, a new $20 million effort to bring together community-wide resources to help prevent diabetes, asthma and obesity. The initiative will fund projects in five communities to enhance access to services, encourage positive behavioral changes and improve community health.

I am also honored to co-chair the President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children with EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. One of our top priorities on this task force is to examine the increased incidence of asthma among children and the steps the administration can take to combat it. Task force membership includes representatives of 14 other cabinet departments and White House agencies that are also dedicated to that goal.

In fiscal year 2002, HHS will spend an estimated $280 million on asthma research and prevention, a nearly 14 percent increase over fiscal year 2001. President Bush's fiscal year 2003 budget increases that investment to $302 million.

I encourage all Americans to take the theme of World Asthma Day to heart on May 7. Working together, we can make a difference to ease the burden of this horrible disease. For more information about World Asthma Day, please visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/wad_2/index.htm.

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