An update on the Healthy Lungs for Life clean air project in Kyrgyzstan

A Healthy Lungs for Life project highlighting the importance of clean air is successfully raising awareness across Kyrgyzstan.

The project, which was launched in November, is promoting the benefits of cleaner air in a country with a lung disease death rate higher than any country in Europe.

Run in association with the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG), the project has received a €25,000 pledge from Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Sandoz, who collected donations during the ERS International Congress to support the campaign.

The funding has enabled a team of experts in the country to develop a number of activities designed to help improve the lung health of citizens. These include:

• Developing guidelines for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and other lung diseases with a special focus on high-altitude regions
• Developing a training programme on COPD for family doctors and GPs
• Producing educational materials for people with COPD and the public about the main risk factors associated with the disease
• Developing a practical guide for spirometry
• Conducting research as part of the Fresh Air study to looking at the prevalence of COPD and its major risk factors across the population.

Read the full report.