Allergic diseases and asthma: a global public health concern and a call to action

This article was originally published online on 19 May 2014 The prevalence of allergic diseases and asthma are increasing worldwide, particularly in low and middle income countries. Moreover, the complexity and severity of allergic diseases, including asthma, continue to increase especially in children and young adults, who are bearing the greatest burden of these trends. In order to address this major global challenge that threatens health and economies alike it is important to have a global action plan that includes partnerships involving different stakeholders from low-, middle-, and high-income countries. Allergic diseases include life-threatening anaphylaxis, food allergies, certain forms of asthma,…