Calling time on asthma deaths in tropical regions-how much longer must people wait for essential medicines?

Every day around 1150 people die worldwide because of asthma, and most of these deaths are avoidable.1 As a comparison, malaria—which is seen as a much bigger problem and increased prevention measures have resulted in decreasing death rates—kills about 1175 people per day.2 Most asthma deaths occur in children and adults living in tropical regions, where effective asthma management might be either non-existent or inaccessible.3 However, with correct diagnosis and treatment many deaths from asthma could be prevented.