Asthma currently affects about 25 million people in the United States, including over seven million children. In the US, it accounts for 14.2 million missed work days, 10.5 million missed school days, 1.9 million ED visits , 479,000 hospitalizations, and over 3000 deaths . 13.4% of children in Virginia have asthma. Health districts with the highest asthma prevalence represent Central, Eastern, and Southwest regions. With the right care, most children with asthma can have a good quality of life with minimal symptoms and few if any asthma flare-ups. The most recent set of asthma guidelines issued by the NHLBI’s National Asthma Education and Prevention Program in 2007 encourages six key actions for improving asthma care.
