lifestyle leading to rise in asthmatic children: WAO Sudipto Chowdhury TNN Hyderabad: Asthma in children is increasing alarmingly in India with at least 15% rise mainly in big metros in thelast10 years,the WorldAllergy Organisation (WAO) said. With global warming, increase in pollution and change in lifestyle, the number of asthmatic children has doubled globally compared to what it was in the initial years of the millennium, said Ruby Pawankar, president of WAO on Saturday. “The situation in India is alarming. There is a steep rise in the number of asthma cases in Indian children,” Pawankar told STOI on the sidelines of the ongoing WAO International Scientific Conference in the city. Pawankar said WAO is keen to help India formulate guidelines to try and control allergic diseases. The WAO is interacting with the Union health ministry, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and also trying to rope in multiple stakeholders to help the government and people in general. “The government response is positive and hope it would start endorsing,” Pawankar said. The rise of asthma in children is now being seen more and more in developing countries such as India. Besides the allergic nature of an individual, wall-to-wall complex urban lifestyle, humidity of the region and lack of personal hygiene are leading to the rise of asthma globally, she said. The constant degradation of bio-diversity, lack of knowledge among common people and prevailing improper training system in India have contributed to the rising cases in the country, she said. “Patient awareness is vital. Reaching out to the patients, educating them can help in the fight against asthma in children,” Pawankar added. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 300 million individuals have asthma worldwide including millions in India, a figure that could rise to 400 million by 2025 if trends continue. Comparative studies conducted by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Child (ISAAC) in 1997 and 2003-04, involving two age groups of children (2- 6 years and 13-14 years), it was found that the number has actually doubled in that time span, she said. According to Pawankar, the first woman president of the WAO, global partnership is needed between organizations, policy makers and the government to combat asthma. Incidentally, the WAO has conducted training programmesin Kenya and nine African countries and the local government after realising that allergies are on the rise has decided to allocate some resources in dealing with these problems.