It’s a peak season for people with asthma and allergies, and a perfect time to educate patients, family, friends, co-workers and others about these diseases.

I just got back from my walk in the neighborhood, the current pandemic has prompted me and my wife to walk more and I am enjoying the break from being in the house. For those that have asthma, a trip around the block might trigger an event that they have to deal with… a nice leisurely walk is can be looked upon with trepidation.

Just think, more than 60 million Americans overall have asthma and allergies!

• About 25 million Americans have asthma (19 million adults and 6.2 million children)
• About 32 million Americans have food allergies (26 million adults and 6 million children)
• About 21 million Americans have hay fever, rhinitis or nasal allergies (20 million adults and 5.6 million children)

May Asthma and Allergy Awareness Events

Connect with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America in May – online or in person! AAFA participates in the following events and educates the public with the best asthma and allergy information available. You are not alone in the battle against asthma and allergies – so share our awareness messages or come to an event! Be sure to follow us for Asthma and Allergy Awareness on the AAFA blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!

May 4-8: Air Quality Awareness Week – Learn how air pollution and indoor air quality can impact your asthma health. Your indoor air quality is especially important during the “stay-at-home” orders due to the new coronavirus (COVID-19). Many products promise to help control allergens. But some products make false or exaggerated claims. This makes it hard for consumers to know the best products to buy. To help you make informed decisions, we have CERTIFIED more than 100 products. When you are shopping for products for your home, look for the CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® Mark. It indicates the product has passed our testing standards.

May 1-31: Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month –  Asthma and allergic diseases impact over 60 million people in the U.S. This year, AAFA and the MedicAlert Foundation have teamed up to raise awareness about asthma and anaphylaxis. The goal of this partnership is to help you manage your conditions and prevent life-threatening medical emergencies.

May 4: FPIES Awareness Day – We honor those with food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome.

May 5: World Asthma Day

May 5, 4 pm ET: Special book reading from AAFA’s youngest ambassador, Javan Allison.  He’s reading his book, The Adventures of Javan and the 3 A’s #AsthmaSucks, live on Instagram and Facebook. Javan became an asthma advocate and AAFA ambassador when he nearly lost his life to asthma two years ago.

May 10-16: Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW) – Nearly 6 million children and over 26 million adults in the U.S. have food allergies.

May 11, noon ET: #foodallergy101 Twitter Chat co-hosted by @kfatweets and @AAAAI_org

May 17-23: Eosinophil Awareness Week – Learn more about eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

May 21, noon ET: #asthmahealth Twitter Chat co-hosted by @AAFANational and @AAAAI_org