Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that gaps in access to essential asthma medicines and poor treatment practices are leaving millions of people at risk of severe attacks and preventable deaths.
The warning was contained in a WHO departmental update released on Thursday ahead of World Patient Safety Day 2026, which focuses on safe care for people living with non-communicable diseases.
WHO said asthma affected about 363 million people globally in 2023 and was associated with 442,000 deaths.
The organisation said many people with asthma rely heavily on reliever inhalers to ease breathing difficulties without adequately treating the underlying airway inflammation.
Frequent use of reliever medicines can indicate poor disease control and has been associated with an increased risk of severe asthma attacks and death.
In 2023, steroid inhalers were available in fewer than half of public primary healthcare facilities in low- and lower-middle-income countries, while bronchodilator inhalers were available in fewer than two-thirds, according to WHO.
“The Global Asthma Network survey found that 45% to 60% of people with severe asthma symptoms, depending on age group, were not taking inhaled corticosteroids, with larger treatment gaps in lower-income settings,” said Prof Refiloe Masekela, Co-Chair of the Global Asthma Network.
“We have effective medicines, but people need to be able to access them and use them correctly if we are to improve symptoms and reduce asthma attacks,” she added.
“I need to understand what each inhaler is for, how to use it properly and what I should do if my asthma gets worse. It also helps to be able to ask questions and be involved in decisions about my treatment,” said asthma patient Andrea Jensen.
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Mirian Gom 
Korede Abdullah 