New Campaign Targets a Silent Crisis: Uncontrolled Asthma in America

FAIRFAX, Va. – May 01, 2026 – A major new public health initiative launched today aims to confront a widespread and often overlooked crisis in the United States: the poor control of asthma. Timed for National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, the Allergy & Asthma Network has unveiled its "Control Your Asthma" campaign, a series of national television and radio public service announcements (PSAs) designed to educate Americans on the serious, and often preventable, consequences of mismanaged asthma.

While more than 28 million people in the U.S. live with the chronic respiratory disease, a significant number endure symptoms that signal a dangerous lack of control. The new campaign seeks to shift the public's understanding of what it means to live with asthma, moving from passive acceptance of symptoms to active, empowered management.

"Asthma control should never be guesswork," said Lynda Mitchell, CEO of Allergy & Asthma Network, in a statement announcing the launch. "Our PSAs give families the tools they need to recognize warning signs early and take action. When people understand what good asthma control looks like, they can breathe easier and live without limits."

The Unseen Burden of Poor Control

For millions, symptoms like frequent coughing, persistent wheezing, or waking up at night struggling for breath have become a normalized part of life. However, medical experts warn that these are not minor inconveniences but clear indicators of poor asthma control. Heavy reliance on quick-relief or "rescue" inhalers is another critical red flag that the underlying inflammation is not being properly managed.

When left unaddressed, these symptoms can escalate dramatically, placing patients at a significantly higher risk for emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and even death. The tragedy, health advocates emphasize, is that many of these severe outcomes are preventable with proper education and care.

The campaign's message is simple but urgent: what many consider "normal" for an asthma patient is, in fact, a sign of a looming health crisis. The goal is to arm patients and their families with the knowledge to identify these warning signs and seek timely medical intervention before their condition deteriorates.

Confronting a Stark Health Disparity

The burden of uncontrolled asthma is not shared equally across the nation. Decades of data reveal profound and persistent racial and ethnic disparities that the new campaign directly confronts. African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino communities experience disproportionately higher rates of asthma-related illness and death.

According to recent public health data, Black individuals are nearly three times more likely to die from asthma than white individuals. The disparity is even more shocking among children, with Black children facing an asthma death rate 7.6 times higher than that of their white peers. This gap extends to urgent care, where Black patients are nearly five times more likely to visit the emergency room for asthma and 4.5 times more likely to be hospitalized.

These statistics paint a grim picture of a health equity crisis rooted in a complex web of socioeconomic factors, environmental exposures, and unequal access to quality healthcare. The Allergy & Asthma Network's campaign aims to use education as a primary tool to start closing this gap, ensuring that targeted information reaches the communities most at risk.

By providing resources in both English and Spanish—through its dedicated websites ControlYourAsthma.org and ControlarTuAsma.org—the initiative is making a concerted effort to break down language barriers and empower all families to advocate for better care.

A Call to Action Backed by Leading Experts

Lending their voices and credibility to the campaign are some of the nation's most respected specialists in respiratory health. The PSAs feature Dr. Cherie Zachary, President of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; Dr. Carla Davis, President of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; and Dr. Juanita Mora, a Chicago-based allergist and CEO of the Chicago Allergy Center.

These experts bring decades of frontline clinical experience, reinforcing the campaign's core message with medical authority. Their involvement underscores a unified call from the medical community for a paradigm shift in how patients and providers approach asthma management.

"I regularly meet patients whose asthma could be better controlled with clearer guidance and the right resources," stated Dr. Mora, who has a strong focus on preventative care in underserved communities. "These PSAs help families recognize when symptoms are not normal and encourage them to seek specialized care before their asthma becomes more serious."

The campaign's clear directive is for individuals experiencing warning signs to consult an allergy and asthma specialist, who can provide a comprehensive diagnosis and a personalized management plan that goes beyond simply reacting to attacks.

Beyond the PSA: A Sustained Effort for Change

The "Control Your Asthma" campaign is not a standalone effort but the latest public-facing component of the Allergy & Asthma Network's long-term commitment to health equity. For years, the organization has been working on the ground to address the root causes of asthma disparities through programs like "Trusted Messengers," which partners with community groups to deliver health education and screenings in under-resourced areas.

Another key initiative, the "Not One More Life" program, brings vital asthma screening and education directly to vulnerable populations in communities of color. This groundwork, combined with national advocacy for policies that ensure affordable access to medication and cleaner air, provides a robust foundation for the new PSA campaign. By raising national awareness, the network aims to amplify its ongoing work and drive a broader societal change in the perception and treatment of asthma.

The ultimate measure of the campaign's success will be its ability to translate awareness into action—encouraging more people to have crucial conversations with their doctors, adopt effective long-term control strategies, and ultimately reduce the unacceptable rates of preventable suffering and death from this manageable condition.