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Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and David Valadao (CA-22), co-chairs of the House Asthma and Allergy Caucus, today introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate May “National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.”
 
“Allergies and asthma impact Americans from every corner of the country, across age groups, sex, and race, myself included – though we know it is historically underserved communities that are impacted the most. My home state of Michigan has one of the highest prevalence rates of asthma in the country,” said Rep. Dingell. “I’m proud to designate May Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month to support increased education and efforts to improve the quality of live for Americans living with these conditions.”
 
“Over half a million people live with asthma just in California’s Central Valley, with millions more suffering from seasonal or yearly allergies. These conditions have a serious impact on people’s lives and make simple day-to-day tasks incredibly difficult,” said Congressman Valadao. “I’m proud to join Congresswoman Dingell to introduce this resolution to designate May as Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month so we can help educate the American people and save lives. As the co-chair of the Congressional Asthma and Allergy Caucus, I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue raising awareness on this critical issue.”
 
“AAFA would like to thank House Asthma and Allergy Caucus co-chairs, Representatives Dingell and Valadao, for introducing this resolution to raise awareness of the ways asthma and allergies impact people in the United States,” said Kenneth Mendez, president and CEO of AAFA. “With over one in three people in the U.S. suffering from allergic disease, it’s important that everyone understands ways to address these conditions. Over 3,500 people die every year from asthma, allergy seasons which can be a trigger for asthma are getting longer and more intense from climate change; and food allergies have increased among children. Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native people are disproportionately impacted by all these conditions.  AAFA is committed to working with Congress in a way that raises awareness of and provides help for the challenges faced by people in the U.S. with asthma and allergies.”
 
Rep. Dingell is a co-lead of the Elijah E. Cummings Family Asthma Act, which would expand federal, state, and local efforts to improve care for individuals with asthma.
 
View the full text of the resolution here and below.
 
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the designation of May as ‘‘National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month’’.
Whereas 4,800,000 children in the United States currently have asthma;
Whereas 25,000,000, or 1 in 13 people in the United States, have asthma and the numbers are increasing each year;
Whereas, in 2018, on average, children missed more than 7,900,000 days of school and adults missed 10,900,000 days of work because of asthma;
Whereas asthma is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases among children;
Whereas 1,500,000 individuals per year visit emergency departments because of asthma’s effects;
Whereas asthma is a leading cause of hospitalizations and school absences due to a chronic disease among children;
Whereas the total economic cost of asthma in the United States was $81,900,000,000 per year from 2008 to 2013;
Whereas fewer than half of people with asthma report being given an asthma action plan, which is key to the prevention of asthma attacks;
Whereas Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous individuals in the United States face the highest burden of asthma;
Whereas asthma is a manageable disease that claimed the lives of over 3,500 Americans in 2021;
Whereas 20,300,000 people in the United States have food allergies, including about 4,300,000 children;
Whereas food allergy has increased among United States children over the past 20 years, with the greatest increase in Black children;
Whereas children with food allergies are 2 to 4 times more likely to have asthma or other allergic diseases; and
Whereas May would be an appropriation month to designate as ‘‘Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month’’:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes ‘‘National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month’’ and calls upon the American people to observe such month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.