World No Tobacco Day

People, non-governmental organizations and governments unite on World No Tobacco Day to draw attention to the health problems that tobacco use can cause. It is held on May 31 each year. 

What Do People Do?

World No Tobacco Day is a day for people, non-governmental organizations and governments organize various activities to make people aware of the health problems that tobacco use can cause. These activities include:

• Public marches and demonstrations, often with vivid banners.
• Advertising campaigns and educational programs.
• People going into public places to encourage people to stop smoking.
• The introduction of bans on smoking in particular places or types of advertising.
• Meetings for anti-tobacco campaigners.

Moreover, laws restricting smoking in particular areas may come into effect and wide reaching health campaigns may be launched.

Background

Tobacco is a product of the fresh leaves of nicotiana plants. It is used as an aid in spiritual ceremonies and a recreational drug. It originated in the Americas, but was introduced to Europe by Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to Portugal in 1559. It quickly became popular and an important trade crop.

Medical research made it clear during the 1900s that tobacco use increased the likelihood of many illnesses including heart attacks, strokes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema and many forms of cancer. This is true for all ways in which tobacco is used, including:

• Cigarettes and cigars.
• Hand rolling tobacco.
• Bidis and kreteks (cigarettes containing tobacco with herbs or spices).
• Pipes and water pipes.
• Chewing tobacco.
• Snuff.
• Snus (a moist version of snuff popular in some countries such as Sweden).
• Creamy snuff (a paste consisting of tobacco, clove oil, glycerin, spearmint, menthol, and camphor sold in a toothpaste tube popular in India).
• Gutkha (a version of chewing tobacco mixed with areca nut, catechu, slaked lime and other condiments popular in India and South-East Asia).

On May 15, 1987, the World Health Organization passed a resolution, calling for April 7, 1988, to be the first World No Smoking Day. This date was chosen because it was the 40th anniversary of the World Health Organization. On May 17, 1989, the World Health Organization passed a resolution calling for May 31 to be annually known as World No Tobacco Day. This event has been observed each year since 1989.

Mount Everest Day

Jawahar Lal Nehru Death Anniversary 2017

Jawahar Lal Nehru Death Anniversary 2017 - May 27 (Saturday)

This year will mark 53rd death anniversary of country’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru on May 27, 2017. Every year the leader is paid floral tribute by elite ministers, govt. officials and other dignitaries across the nation.

Special program is organized at Shanti Van, the memorial of Nehru where priests recites hymns from sacred texts for the departed soul of the great leader of the country. The program proceeds by all religions prayer meeting, followed by audio play of Nehru’s popular speech. The famous speech “Tryst with Destiny” was addressed to the Constituent Assembly in New Delhi at the time of India’s independence.

Nehruji also referred as founder of modern India, served as the country’s first Prime Minister from August 1947 to May 1964. Nehruji worked as guiding light of the country since independence and contributed in growth of country as great writer and amateur historian.

The pivotal leader of India departed on May 27, 1964 at the age of 74.

Scientist of the day - Sir Edward Frankland

Sir Edward Frankland, an English chemist, was born Jan. 18, 1825. In 1852, Frankland read a paper to the Royal Society of London, in which he proposed the concept of valence (or valency, as the British call it). Frankland pointed out that every element tends to combine with a certain number of atoms of other elements, and this number, called the valence, is a constant for a given element. Thus oxygen tends to combine with two hydrogen atoms, so its valence is two, while carbon combines with four hydrogen atoms, or two oxygen atoms, giving it a valence of four. The concept of valence brought a great deal of order to chemistry, which still hadn’t quite figured out whether oxygen has an atomic weight of 8 or 16, or whether carbon has a weight of 6 or 12. Frankland’s paper was published in the Philosophical Transactions later that year.

On Nov. 3, 1864, Frankland and 6 other eminent Victorian scientists were invited to dinner at the home of Thomas Henry Huxley. The group met again the next month, adding one more invitee, and, with no further additions, they continued to dine together once a month for the next 29 years. They called themselves the X-Club, and they became one of the more important behind-the-scenes forces in Victorian science. Other members were: Herbert Spencer, the social evolutionist; John Lubbock, the archaeologist; and George Busk, the anthropologist. Most of the members were friends of Charles Darwin and partial to his discovery of evolution by natural selection; their agenda (which they never put in writing) seems to have been, first and foremost, to maintain contact with one another as life threatened to wedge them apart, and second, to advance their belief that science ought to proceed without the influence of religious dogma. Many of the members were religious, but they believed that organized religion had no business determining the direction or content of contemporary science. Although the X-Club was far from being a Political Action Committee, they did have a great deal of say as to who were elected officers of the Royal Society of London and the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and quite a few of their number served as President of those two organizations in the 1870s and 1880s. Darwin, interestingly, was never a member of the X-Club. Perhaps he did not want to belong to a club where he himself was frequently the subject of conversation.

There is a lovely Woodburytype of Frankland in the National Portrait Gallery in London (NPG), made about 1880 (first image). The NPG also has a Woodburytype of the founder of the X-Club, T.H. Huxley, made about the same time (second image). And Frankland shares a blue plaque with another prominent Victorian chemist, Sir Henry Roscoe, on a wall at the University of Manchester, where Frankland taught for 6 years.

Common Wealth Day

World Turtle Day 2017

The World Turtle Day 2017 is on May, 23. The purpose of the observance is to bring attention to, and increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises, and encourage human action to help them survive and thrive. Turtle Day is celebrated worldwide in a variety of ways, from dressing up as turtles to saving turtles caught on highways, to research activities. It is sponsored yearly since 2000 by the nonprofit corporation American Tortoise Rescue.

World Turtle Day was to increase respect and knowledge for the world's oldest creatures. Turtles are reptiles, characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield. These gentle animals have been around for about 200 million years, yet they are rapidly disappearing as a result of the exotic food industry, habitat destruction and the cruel pet trade.

You can do a few small things that can help to save turtles and tortoises for the next generation. Never buy them from a pet shop as it increases demand from the wild. Never remove turtles or tortoises from the wild unless they are sick or injured. If a tortoise is crossing a busy street, pick it up and send it in the same direction it was going. Report cruelty or illegal sales of turtles and tortoises to your local animal control shelter.

World Metrology Day

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

Cotton Jayanthi & World Day of Families

Happy Mother's Day

This year Mother's Day is celebrated/ observed on Sunday May 14th, 2017. Mother's Day is observed the second Sunday in May. It is a time to honor mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers for their contribution to family and society. Since it is not a federal holiday, businesses may be open or closed as any other Sunday. The compliment to Mother's day is Father's Day, celebrating the contributions Father's make to raising a family.

History

Mother's Day originated from mainly two women, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis. Julia Ward sponsored Mother's Day each year in Boston around 1870 to promote pacifism and disarmament with women. It lasted about 10 years. Anna Jarvis organized the first Mother's Day in Grafton, West Virginia at St. Andrew's Methodist Church in 1908.

International Nurses Day 2017

Nurses Day

International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated every year all around the world on 12^th of May to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Florence Nightingale and to mark the nurses contributions towards people’s health.

International Nurses Day 2017

International Nurses Day 2017 will be celebrated by the nurses all across the world on 12^th of May, at Friday.

International Nurses Day History

Nurses Day was first proposed by the Dorothy Sutherland (an officer from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare) in the year 1953 and first proclaimed by the President Dwight D. Eisenhower. And it was first celebrated by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in the year 1965.

In the month of January in 1974, the 12^th of May was declared to be celebrated as the birthday anniversary of the founder of modern nursing, the Florence Nightingale. International Nurses Day Kit (having educational and public information materials to be used by the nurses among public) is prepared and distributed every year by the International Council of Nurses while celebrating the nurses day.

UNISON (the British public sector union) had asked the ICN in 1999 to celebrate this day on another date as Florence Nightingale is not symbolizing the modern nursing. Then, National Student Nurses’ Day was started celebrating annually on 8^th of May since 1998 and National Nurses Week was started celebrating every year from 6^th of May to 12^th of May since 2003.

International Council of Nurses commemorates the International Nurses Day annually all around the world on 12^th of May as the birth anniversary of the Florence Nightingale. International Council of Nurses would distribute an IND Kit in 2014 having educational and public information materials with the theme “Nurses: A Force for Change – A vital resource for health”. Nurses are encouraged at this day to comprehensively use this kit throughout the year through their individual and group activities.

Florence Nightingale (the foundational philosopher of the modern nursing) was born on 12^th of May in 1820. International Council of Nurses established the day in 1974 to be celebrated every year to highlight the importance of nurses role in providing the best health care services. She became an important figure of the nursing since Crimean War during 1850s. She, stationed at the Barrack Hospital, Scutari, reformed the health care services and nursing and opened “the Nightingale School of Nursing” at the St. Thomas Hospital, London in 1860.

Promotional and educational activities are organized while celebrating the International Nurses Day annually to address lots of nursing issues. The theme of celebration is selected based on nurses and environment, handling poor, poverty issues and many more. It is celebrated as a week long event, referred as National Nurses Week, in many countries like Australia, United States, Canada and etc.

International Nurses Day Celebration

International Nurses Day is celebrated every year by organizing a candle lamp service in the Westminster Abbey, London. A candle lamp is handed over from one nurse to another (symbolizing to pass the knowledge from one nurse to another) to place it on the High Altar. A big ceremony is also held at the St. Margaret’s Church, the Florence Nightingale burial place, a day after her birthday.

It is celebrated for week long in the US and Canada as a National Nursing Week from 6^th of May to 12^th of May. Varieties of nursing ceremonies are conducted during the whole week celebration in the Australia. National Nurses Week is the whole week celebration targeting the health care services on international level. It is celebrated to recognize the contributions and commitments of the nurses among common public. American Nurses Association supports and encourages the celebration of National Nurses Week all through states and districts nurses associations including other health care companies and institutions.

Whole week celebration is planned to commemorate the nurses significant role in caring patients. Activities are held such as educational seminars, variety of community events, debates, competitions, discussions and etc. Nurses are appreciated and honored at this day by distributing gifts, flowers, organizing dinners and etc by the friends, family members, coworkers (doctors, administrators, and patients).

Significance of International Nurses Day

It is celebrated annually on 12^th of May to celebrate the birth anniversary of the modern nursing founder, the Florence Nightingale. Nursing is the largest health care profession in the world and nurses are the key of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Nurses are well trained and educated for maintaining the health and wellness of the patients through all the aspects like psychosocially, socially and etc.

Nurses have deep practical knowledge of delivering best health care services. National nurses associations (NNAs) play an important role in making nurses well informed, advised, encouraged and supported to deliver better work. NNAs works with the governments and non-government organizations to strengthen the health care systems as well as create conditions maximizing the nurses contribution.

International Council of Nurses celebrates this event aiming to increase the public awareness about the nursing and nurses contribution towards the health care innovation. Nurses are the fast and first point of contacting for health services. Nurses are innovatively practiced to provide free health checkup to the industries indicating their willingness of improving the health of staffs, to meet all the local needs, to improve the physical, mental and well-being of the patients and etc.

International Nurses Day Theme

Every year theme of the International Nurses Day celebration from 1988 to 2014 is mentioned below:

• The theme of 1988 was “Safe Motherhood”.
• The theme of 1989 was “School Health”.
• The theme of 1990 was “Nurses and Environment”.
• The theme of 1991 was “Mental Health – Nurses in Action”.
• The theme of 1992 was “Healthy Aging”.
• The theme of 1993 was “Quality, costs and Nursing”.
• The theme of 1994 was “Healthy Families for Healthy Nation”.
• The theme of 1995 was “Women’s Health: Nurses Pave the Way”.
• The theme of 1996 was “Better Health through Nursing Research”.
• The theme of 1997 was “Healthy Young People = A Brighter Future”.
• The theme of 1998 was “Partnership for Community Health”.
• The theme of 1999 was “Celebrating Nursing’s past, claiming the future”.
• The theme of 2000 was “Nurses – Always there for you”.
• The theme of 2001 was “Nurses, Always There for You: United against Violence”.
• The theme of 2002 was “Nurses Always There for You: Caring for Families”.
• The theme of 2003 was “Nurses: Fighting AIDS stigma, working for all”.
• The theme of 2004 was “Nurses: Working with the Poor; Against Poverty”.
• The theme of 2005 was “Nurses for Patients’ Safety: Targeting counterfeit medicines and substandard medication”.
• The theme of 2006 was “Safe staffing saves lives”.
• The theme of 2007 was “Positive practice environments: Quality workplaces = quality patient care”.
• The theme of 2008 was “Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Primary Health Care”.
• The theme of 2009 was “Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Care Innovations”.
• The theme of 2010 was “Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Chronic Care”.
• The theme of 2011 was “Closing the Gap: Increasing Access and Equity”.
• The theme of 2012 was “Closing the Gap: From Evidence to Action”.
• The theme of 2013 was “Closing the Gap: Millennium Development Goals”.
• The theme of 2014 was: “Nurses: A Force for Change – A Vital Resource for Health”.
• The theme of 2015 was “Nurses: A Force for Change: Care Effective, Cost Effective”.
• The theme of 2016 was “Nurses: A Force for Change: Improving health systems’ resilience”.
• The theme of 2017 is “Nursing: A voice to lead – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”.

National Technology Day-India

Buddha Jayanti

World Red Cross Day

Red Cross Day

World Red Cross day means 8^th of May is celebrated every year as the birthday anniversary of founder of the Red Cross. Henry Dunant was the founder of the Red Cross as well as the founder of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), born in the Geneva in the year 1828. He was the most famous person and became the recipient of 1^st Nobel Peace Prize.

World Red Cross Day is an annual event celebration, celebrating the principles of “International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement”. It is celebrated every year to pay tribute to the volunteers participated in the event as well as welcome their precious contribution for helping people in need.

World Red Cross Day 2017

World Red Cross Day 2017 will be celebrated all across the world by the National Societies affiliates to the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) on 8^th of May, at Monday.

World Red Cross Day History

Red Cross was introduced as a major contribution to the peace after the World War I by an international commission at 14^th International Conference of the Red Cross. The principles of the Red Cross Truce was presented and approved on 15^th International Conference at Tokyo in the year 1934 to get applicable all across the world in different regions. The possibility of its annual celebration was asked to the “League of the Red Cross Societies (LORCS)” by the International Federation of the Red Cross Societies (IFRC) General Assembly. And just 2 years later the proposal of celebrating this day annually was adopted and was first celebrated as the Red Cross Day on 8^th of May in 1948. Later, it was officially named as the “World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day” in the year 1984.

World Red Cross Day is celebrated by the people on international level to alleviate people’s suffering, enhancing their dignity, protecting their life from emergencies and lots of natural disasters including epidemic diseases, flood and earthquakes. It is celebrated by all the sections of the Red Cross organizations to help people by keeping in front it’s all fundamental principles which are humanity, independence, impartiality, neutrality, universality, voluntary and unity.

International Committee of the Red Cross and its members (National Societies) organize lots of programmes and events in order to encourage volunteers as well as facilitate and promote their humanitarian activities. International Red Cross movement members assists the suffered people of any problems. People are motivated to protect their own lives and take care of the dignity of other victims.

It is celebrated annually to honor the founder of an International Red Cross Crescent Movement, Henry Dunant. It is celebrated by the National Societies (affiliated to ICRC) in their countries to aware people about the need of life protection in some drastic conditions. It highlights the international services to motivate people to hugely participate in the life saving activities.

Why World Red Cross Day is Celebrated

World Red Cross Day has become an important day in the history of world which is being celebrated annually to play big role in the life saving events as well as assisting the vulnerable social people all around the world. It is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of Henri Dunant who had founded the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the year 1863 in the Geneva, Switzerland.

It aimed to provide relief to the human beings in distress and desolation due to war, food shortage, epidemic diseases or natural calamities. Its celebration is highlighted through a special theme of the year to fulfill the aim of celebration as well as make people aware of its importance. It also aims to attract more private or governmental organizations to be active members and participate regionally to help needed people suffering from any kind of disaster.

Around 97 million members and volunteers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are also honored at this day of being the largest humanitarian network of relief worldwide serving over 170 countries. Around 240 million people all over the world have become benefited of the free assistance of Red Cross workers. In 1922, peace and relief was given by the Red Cross members to the people affected by the World War I.

National Societies acts as auxiliaries of the Red Cross in the humanitarian field and assists with the range of services such as natural disaster relief, medical services and other health and social programmes. A meeting held every two years between the National Societies and their Federation in the General Assembly whereas every four years, a meeting held where whole Movement meets at the Geneva Conventions which is called as the “International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent”. Following are the objectives of the World Red Cross Day celebration:

• It is celebrated to provide relief and peace to the injured people to prevent death rate due to the disasters of any kind.
• It helps in initiating active efforts all over the world to reduce casual death rate because of epidemic illnesses.
• It helps people living in the vulnerable areas to manage the public health emergencies.
• It empowers its members, civil societies and other involved local communities to provide immediate response to the health disasters in the vulnerable situations.
• It helps in reinstating the human dignity.
• Geneva conventions help in monitoring the compliance of warring parties.
• It helps the wounded people on the battlefield by organizing the nursing care.
• It avails the treatment for prisoners of war and help in searching the missing persons during conflict.
• It avails protection and nursing care to the people in civil populations.

How World Red Cross Day is celebrated

World Red Cross Day is celebrated by organizing variety of events and programmes at many places to help people free of cost. 50 volunteers are enrolled by the District Red Cross Branches and 25 volunteers by the taluka Red Cross Branches to offer the humanitarian services every year. The particular branch with their enrolled new volunteers welcomes the Red Cross Rath by the Zone wise Rath Yatra Movement where it has organized local programmes to highlight the Red Cross activities.

New enrolled volunteers are guided by the state branch representatives and branch office bearer for the further activities throughout the year. All the new enrolled volunteers work throughout the year for at least 60 hours called volunteer hours on the subjects they had assigned for. They motivate the group of youth people to help people in emergencies such as earthquakes, flood, cyclone, thalassemia and etc.

Some of the National societies celebrate the World Red Cross Day by organizing the anaemia and blood donation awareness programmes. New volunteers also organize some awareness campaigns related to the subjects in their local community according to the requirement and need of people.

A seminar is held between the experienced members of the Indian Red Cross Society and enrolled volunteers at the National Headquarter. It is celebrated in many states of the India (Orissa, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh,) by welcoming and honoring the Red Cross Volunteers. The programmes are also attended by the state governors and state ministers throughout the country. The event celebration news is covered by the new channels, TV channels and radio talks.

Youths from the local communities are inspired to get actively participated in the activities in order to protect the human beings and animals from disaster. Blood donation camps and other health checkup camps are organized in local places for the easy reach of the poor people.

About World Red Cross Society

World Red Cross societies and Red Crescent Societies are the largest humanitarian network of the world offering relief to the disaster. It celebrates the World Red Cross Day by organizing activities in more than 170 countries of the world. It has become the strongest force of the world having unpaid assistants (including 97 million members and enrolled volunteers) all around the world for helping 233 million people every year.

It aims to accomplish its meeting in other regions of the world as well to alleviate all the deadly and painful diseases including measles and other crises. Its primary objective is to completely eradicate epidemic diseases, save children from the sufferings, lessen the maternal and child mortality rate and etc. A cross of red color on the white background is the symbol of Red Cross Day which was originated in the year 1864 in the Geneva Convention.

About International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was founded in the year 1863 in the Geneva, Switzerland as a private institution for managing the people’s disaster sufferings worldwide. It consists of 25 members and Red Cross committee who are empowered for the life saving events and protecting victim’s dignity on national and international level under the human rights law.

Red Crescent Societies are affiliated and works in collaboration with the World Red Cross to assist in the activities of the movement. National Red Crescent societies and Red Cross Societies are exists on national level in almost each country worldwide. Recently, around 186 National Societies (use Red Cross as their official symbol) are available which are recognized by the ICRC.

World Red Cross Day Theme

World Red Cross Day is celebrated every year using a particular theme of the year to run this campaign very effectively all over the world. Some of the themes are mentioned below:

• World Red Cross Day theme of 2016 was “Everywhere for everyone”.
• World Red Cross Day theme of 2015 was “Together for Humanity”.
• World Red Cross Day theme of 2014 was “Together for Humanity”.
• World Red Cross Day theme of 2013 was “Together for Humanity”.
• World Red Cross Day theme of 2012 was “youth on the move”.
• World Red Cross Day theme of 2011 was “Find the Volunteer inside You”.
• World Red Cross Day theme of 2010 was “Urbanization”.
• World Red Cross Day theme of 2009 was “Climate Change and its humanitarian consequences serving as a Solferino of Today”.

The International No Diet Day

The International No Diet Day (INDD) is celebrated on May 06, 2017. It is an annual celebration of body acceptance and diversity. This day is also dedicated to promoting a healthy life style and raise awareness of the dangers and futility of dieting. The symbol of the No Diet Day is a blue ribbon, similar to the red ribbon of the World AIDS Day.
International No Diet Day was created by Mary Evans Young in 1992, Mary is the director of the British group "Diet Breakers". After personally experiencing anorexia, she worked to help people appreciate themselves for what they are, and to appreciate the body they have.
There are several goals to the INDD: Celebrate the beauty and diversity of ALL our natural sizes & shapes; Declare a personal one-day moratorium on diet/weight obsession; Learn the facts about weight-loss dieting, health, and body size; Recognize how dieting perpetuates violence against women; Honor the victims of eating disorders and weight-loss surgery; Help end weight discrimination, sizism and fatphobia.

Karl Marks 200th Birth Anniversary

Karl Marx ( 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a Prussian-born philosopher, economist, sociologist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. Born in Trier to a middle-class family, he later studied political economy and Hegelian philosophy. As an adult, Marx became stateless and spent much of his life in London, England, where he continued to develop his thought in collaboration with German thinker Friedrich Engels and published various works, the most well-known being the 1848 pamphlet The Communist Manifesto. His work has since influenced subsequent intellectual, economic, and political history.

Greenery Day

World press Freedom Day

World Asthma Day

The aim of World Asthma Day is to raise awareness, care and support for those affected by asthma. Whilst the primary focus is supporting the person with asthma, support may also extend to family, friends and caregivers.

Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs which causes breathing problems. Symptoms of asthma include breathlessness, coughing, wheezing and a feeling of tightness in the chest.

These symptoms vary in frequency and severity. When the symptoms are not under control, the airways can become inflamed making breathing difficult. Whilst asthma can not be cured, the symptoms can be controlled enabling people with asthma to live full lives.

World Asthma Day is supported by the organization GINA, the Global Initiative for Asthma which works with health care groups around the world to help raise awareness. GINA is an initiative taken by the US based National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLB). World Asthma Day is also supported by the World Asthma Foundation.

The World Asthma Foundation Supports This Day

World Asthma Day was established in 1998; the first event was set to coincide with the first World Asthma Meeting (WAM) in Barcelona, Spain. Over 35 countries were involved. Over time, World Asthma Day has grown and is widely recognized as the worlds most important asthma awareness event.

As with many other awareness events, a theme is often set for this day which provides a focus for activities.

During previous World Asthma Days, the theme had been 'Reduce The Burden Of Asthma'. People with asthma were made aware of positive steps they can take to help them cope with their condition.

Positive Steps For Coping With Asthma

1. Prepare a personal asthma management plan with the help of doctor. The management plan is tailored to the person with asthma and will cover which medications should be taken at certain times during the day and which risk factors of asthma to avoid.
2. Take relevant medications prescribed by your doctor which relieve symptoms of asthma and control related inflammation and swelling of the airways.
3. Educate yourself about the risk factors of asthma which can bring on symptoms and make the condition worse.
4. Learn to recognize when the symptoms are becoming worse.
5. Be prepared in case you have an asthma attack. This could include carrying a card which informs others about your condition and gives instructions on what to do when you have a severe asthma attack.

For 2012, (and for a number of preceding years) the theme has been 'You Can Control Your Asthma'. This theme coincides with GINA's campaign to reduce worldwide asthma hospitalizations by half, by the year 2015. By educating people with asthma how to control their symptoms, it is hoped that the incidence of severe asthma attacks will fall and also the subsequent number of hospital visits.

Activities & Resources Which Raise Awareness

GINA provides many free resources for health care organizations, charities and members of the public who wish to organize their own awareness activities for World Asthma Day. World Asthma Day activities may include:

• free asthma screening clinics at a local surgery or hospitalizations
• arranging media advertisements (radio, TV, internet)
• organizing debates about local factors which can affect asthma sufferers
• setting up a free asthma telephone help line
• educating children about asthma in a fun manner using games