Mini Munich: Healthy Lungs for Life

This summer, some of the 2,000 children involved in Mini Munich created a video on the theme of lung health and clean air as part of Healthy Lungs for Life. Here is the result.
See you in Munich!!!

Clean Air and Lung Health - Healthy Lungs for Life

Mortality attributable to ambient / household air pollution is numbered in the millions and is affecting people in both developing and developed countries.  This documentary tackles the issues faced by both the public and patients regarding the fight for clean air — air free from particulate matter, pathogens, smoke and dangerous gases. While there has been significate progress in the last decades in terms of air quality, we still have a lot of work to do in order to reach the levels suggested in WHO guidelines. 

Using statistics from the ERS White book and resources from ERS/ELF Healthy Lungs for Life campaign, ERS experts outline what can  be done by all stake holders in respiratory medicine, from healthcare professionals to policy makers, to help make the changes we need to #BreatheCleanAir.

10 Reasons to attend European Respiratory Society Congress, Munich 2014

Dear friends,

as you may already know the European Respiratory Society Annual Congress will take place in Munich, 6-10 September 2014.

You have not decided yet whether you’ll be there or not?

So we have outlined 10 reasons why one would take part in the event this year.

1. Scientific and Educational Programmes

Tight schedule of programmes may attract your attention due to a high variety of postgraduate courses on different respiratory themes: Interventional Pulmonology, Update of phenotypes of asthma and COPD, evidence-based approach to advanced respiratory care, Treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea, etc. Informative and interactive lectures may be very useful for your research, while participating in workshops would allow you to follow the discussion and share your opinion, which is not the least important argument. „Meet the Professor” seminars are elaborated for those interested in the exchange of ideas with leading experts in the respiratory field.

2. Personal Presentation

That would be too simple to attend the Congress and not to express yourself. That is why the next reason is sharing your work, be it a poster, or e-presentation. Probably not everyday we have an opportunity to show the results of our work and to get a feedback at the international Congress of the same level.

3. Healthy Lungs for Life

Healthy Lungs for Life is one of the largest ever lung health campaigns, raising awareness of the importance of healthy lungs to healthcare professionals, scientists, primary care, patients, policy makers and the public through a full range of events, projects and promotional activities. In 2014, the theme is "Breathe clean air".

4. Meet colleagues and friends

Being a part of community united for several days by a common aim – speak about respiratory diseases is also a great chance to meet colleagues and friends. Every year thousands of people attend the congress, and for sure one can get acquainted with interesting people or merely see old friends.

5. Press conferences

Press conferences is another point that may draw your attention if you are a mass media representative. Attending the conferences, gathering information, listening leaders of opinion in respiratory care and asking questions may be very useful for those who want to promote lung health worldwide.

6. HERMES examination

You can take HERMES examination in adult or paediatric respiratory medicine which was created for trainees and specialists interested in knowledge assessment according to European standards. Successful completion of the examination leads to European Diploma in Respiratory Medicine and permits be part of the HERMES Diplomates Club.

7. Respiratory Championship session  

Come and join our 4 teams representing Germany, Greece, Malta and Poland who are competing to be the Champions of Respiratory Medicine. 

Sunday, 7 September 13:15 - 14:15 (Room 4 - ICM)

The quiz master will present illustrated cases (including x-rays, lung function and laboratory results, pathological slides, etc.) that focus on various fields of respiratory medicine.

The session provides a state of the art review and updates on recent advances in major areas of respiratory medicine – an ideal preparation for those preparing the HERMES examination, or for anyone interested in challenging their knowledge and expertise.

8. Exhibition

There is an activity one would like to accomplish between attending the courses and presenting the posters. Namely visiting the exhibition of world-known pharmaceutical and engineering companies, medical bookshops and technological corporations that generously offer information, materials, equipment and create a special atmosphere of international collaboration.

9. Patient Forum ELF/ERS session:'Improving CPAP and NIV - a user perspective'

The session will explore how professionals can improve their practice and healthcare outcomes by listening to the patients’ experience. Too frequently, professional prescribing CPAP and NIV are unaware of the realities of using CPAP and practical issues experienced by patients. Many of these difficulties can be addressed through open professional-patient dialogue, and adjustments to the apparatus.

10. Munich

And finally who would stay at ERS Congress round the clock? Certainly you would like to see the Munich in all its’ autumn beauty. Therefore there would defenitely be time for city tours, excursions through historic centre with all its sights.

 by Mila Corlateanu

Healthy Lungs for Life 2014 campaign VIDEO

Respiratory Decade is an active supporter of Healthy Lungs for Life 2014!! Today we are presenting Healthy Lungs for Life 2014: preview video!

Healthy Lungs for Life is one of the largest ever lung health campaigns, raising awareness of the importance of healthy lungs to healthcare professionals, scientists, primary care, patients, policy makers and the public through a full range of events, projects and promotional activities. In 2014, the theme is "Breathe clean air".

Healthy Lungs for Life 2014 campaign in the best traditions of the Year of the Lung 2010

Respiratory Decade joins Healthy Lungs for Life campaign and will support it actively via our Respiratory blog and our Respiratory facebook groups and pages! 

In 2010 was started very ambitious initiative YEAR OF THE LUNG. YEAR OF THE LUNG was the most important and the most successful Respiratory campaign which emphasized the importance of public awareness about respiratory diseases. Speaking at the European Launch, Professor Nikos Siafakas, European Respiratory Society President 2010, said that the most respiratory diseases are both preventable and treatable, treatment however is very costly, and effective prevention policies in the EU and worldwide are severely lacking”.

Healthy Lungs for Life is one of the largest ever lung health campaigns, raising awareness of the importance of healthy lungs to healthcare professionals, scientists, primary care, patients, policy makers and the public through a full range of events, projects and promotional activities. In 2014, the theme is "Breathe clean air". 

Healthy Lungs for Life seeks to reduce the number of people suffering from respiratory disease by raising awareness and knowledge of lung conditions and ways to prevent lung damage.

In 2014, Healthy Lungs for Life aims to:

• Increase knowledge of the impact of poor air quality on lung health
• Raise awareness of the actions that everyone can take to protect their own lungs from indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Organizers said: We are inviting respiratory professionals and the public from across the globe to join us in this campaign and we can help you by providing resources and materials to host your own events. We are also holding a number of events to coincide with the European Respiratory Society International Congress 2014 across Munich and at the Congress centre itself. The more people supporting and taking part in events, the more powerful the messages will be.

Healthy Lungs for Life campaign 2014: continuing success of the Year of the Lung 2010

Hundreds of millions of people suffer every day from lung diseases, and they cause almost 20% of all deaths in the world. Increased awareness about lung diseases is vital, because they are killing more and more people every year and account for a socioeconomic burden of €102 billion due to health care costs and lost working days in Europe alone. The ‘Big Five' lung disorders are lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB) and asthma. The impact of lung diseases remains as large today as it was at the turn of the century and is likely to remain so for several decades. Each year in the EU, one in eight of all deaths are due to respiratory diseases and lung conditions cause at least 6 million hospital admissions.

In 2010 was started very ambitious initiative YEAR OF THE LUNG. YEAR OF THE LUNG was the most important and the most successful campaign which emphasized the importance of public awareness about respiratory diseases. Speaking at the European Launch, Prof Nikos Siafakas, ERS President 2010, said that the most respiratory diseases are both preventable and treatable, treatment however is very costly, and effective prevention policies in the EU and worldwide are severely lacking”.

The "Healthy Lungs for Life" initiative will be launched in 2014. The concept behind this initiative is to develop a long-term health awareness campaign that will speak not only to those already affected by lung disease, in order to improve their quality of life, but also to those who may be affected in the future. The objective is to focus on prevention and public education, to try and reduce the
burden of lung disease on society, and to use the ERS congress as the driving force behind the campaign.
This year, in 2014, the theme for Healthy Lungs for Life will be Clean Air. The air that we breathe each day has a massive impact on our lungs, the first internal organ it comes in contact with.