The World Health Organization estimates an asthma country incidence rate of 1.5/1,000 per year for Ghana, compared to rates as low as 0.3/1,000 in many parts of the world.

Despite widespread awareness, misinformation on Asthma conditions, including treatment and management persists.

Clinton Yeboah explores improved education dispelling the common myths.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by respiratory constriction and mucus plugs that limit airflow.

The condition is accompanied by a history of recurrent respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and cough that varies over time and intensity, along with variable airflow obstruction.

Across the world, asthma affects 334 million people.

A study on the burden of severe asthma in sub-Saharan Africa, in 2024, revealed the prevalence of asthma is estimated at 7.0% and 9.6% in rural and urban areas respectively.

In Ghana, over 46,500 incidents of Asthma are recorded every year.

Many parents of Asthmatic children know about the condition, but a trip to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital pediatric clinics revealed a lot of alarming, yet growing fallacies parents are confronted with from outsiders and non-experts.

Here are parents who almost fell prey to the “hearsays”.

"I had a lot of suggestions for medications, including liquid from gutters" a mother said. 

These misconceptions yield dangerous apathy that may affect the control and treatment of Asthma.

A pediatric resident at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Nana Abena Owusu Mensah says it can cause the death of patients.

The Paediatric Society of Ghana, Ashanti Division, together with the Department of Child Health, School of Medical Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Directorate of Child Health Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital has recognized the myths.

A sustained parents’ engagement at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, in commemoration of World Asthma Day, themed, “Asthma Education Empowers” has assembled parents and guidance to be educated on proper asthma management mechanisms.   

The training is themed, "Asthma Education Empowers".            

Dr. Sandra Kwarteng Owusu is a Paediatric Pulmonologist and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Child Health, KNUST.

She dispels beliefs that asthma is contagious and can be cured.

“In Africa, particularly in Ghana, there are many people who are aware of asthma but have incorrect information about it. Some parents believe that asthma can be cured, while others think it is contagious. Parents are getting the opportunity in engagement sessions to ask questions and get accurate answers and correct information about asthma treatment and proper management of their children’s condition.

“In treatment, many believe that the inhaler, salbutamol or Ventolin, is a long-term medication. But ideally, for long-term treatment, other medications including inhaled corticosteroids are needed. This is why our engagement focuses on discussing and demonstrating how to use these medications correctly, especially specialized devices designed for children,” she said.

The newly informed mothers and guidance who attended the session expressed they are confident in managing their children’s asthma conditions with the education they have received.

They admonish other parents and guardians of asthmatic children to adhere to medically certified treatments and mechanisms.

"I am constantly coming for the training session and it has been helpful. parents of Asthmatic children shouldn't be listening to outsiders and people who are not experts," a mother said.

Territorial manager for Cipla Pharmaceutical Limited, James Mckeown Ackon, says the heightened education will save lives.

“We are driven by the passion of seeing the good health of everybody.  CIPLA decided to provide support that goes beyond just making medicine and prioritizing the lives of people. 

“Considering the factors of prevalence, and the education we have supported to reach wide, lives will be saved,” he said.