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EPA, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA HOST CHILDHOOD ASTHMA SUMMIT IN TAMPA, FL

Release Date: 02/25/2003
Contact Information: Wesley Lambert, EPA Media Relations, Phone: 404-562-8316

Calling regional attention to asthma is a priority for action, because it is the most common chronic disease in children and is the leading cause of school absenteeism, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the University of Florida, today hosted its first ever State and Federal environmental and health two-day childhood asthma summit in the Southeast. Other participants include representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and state and regional health and environmental agencies from the southeast (AL, FL, TN, KY, MS, NC, SC, GA). The conference was convened to provide a regional stage to focus on collaborative opportunities to develop and implement state asthma strategies to reduce environmental factors that contribute to asthma in children. The goal of the summit is to begin the process of developing and implementing coordinated programs to stem the growing epidemic of childhood asthma. Throughout the summit, participants will identify the most important regional issues and seek a commitment from state environmental and health programs in the southeast to work together to address childhood asthma. Asthma Facts: * Leading Cause of School Absenteeism * Nearly One in Thirteen Children have Asthma * More than 821,000 Children in the southeast had an Asthma Attack during Year 2000 * The Cost of Asthma in the U.S. is enormous, $11.3 Billion * Asthma burden in the southeast is higher than all other areas (asthma attack rate exceeds the national average)