Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

WHEREAS, asthma is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases among children, affecting about 4,750,000 children and nearly 28 million people overall in the United States, including over 697,000 adults and children in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, asthma leads to approximately 1,000,000 emergency department visits each year, is a leading cause of hospitalizations and school absences among children with chronic disease, and has imposed a total economic cost in the United States of $81,900,000,000 annually from 2008 to 2013-equivalent to approximately $115,000,000,000 when adjusted for inflation; and

WHEREAS, Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous individuals in the United States bare a disproportionate burden of asthma, experiencing higher rate of diagnosis, hospitalization, and adverse outcomes; and

WHEREAS, asthma is a manageable disease that despite advancement in medicine has contributed to over 3,100 deaths in the United States in 2023, to include 70 deaths in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, approximately 21,800,000 people in the United States, including about 3,900,000 children, have food allergies, which have increased among U.S. children over the past 20 years, with the most significant rise observed among Black children; and

WHEREAS, children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have asthma or other allergic diseases, and individuals with asthma and food allergies require access to affordable health insurance, as well as the medications and devices necessary to manage their conditions at reasonable cost; and

WHEREAS, May is the peak season for symptom flare-ups for many individuals with asthma and allergies, making it an appropriate month to designate as "Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month" and to increase public awareness; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Abigail D. Spanberger, Governor, do hereby recognize May 2026, as ASTHMA AND ALLERGY AWARENESS MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.