EFA member, the Finnish Lung Health Association (Filha) organized the National Asthma and Allergy Conference in Helsinki on November 22 nd and 23 rd . In the final seminar of the Finnish Allergy Programme 2008-2018, which had been supported by the Allergy, Skin and Asthma Federation, a positive conclusion could have been drawn: the burden of allergy has decreased in Finland. Key changes are for example halved numbers of emergency visits and hospitalization due to asthma, but also occupational allergies have decreased by 40 percent. Consequently, the national costs related to allergy and asthma have fallen by 15 percent within the last two decades.
Most importantly, Patients are getting by better with allergies and asthma, said Professor Erkka Valovirta, one of the key educators of health care professionals. Our board member Ilkka Repo presented EFA’s congratulations for the ground breaking programme, and also highlighted the European promotion and education on establishing a national allergy or asthma programme that EFA has done through our Respiratory Allergy project and the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma.