Tariana Turia: Breathing properly everyone’s right

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation
Media Statement
For immediate release

22 April, 2009

Tariana Turia: Breathing properly is everyone’s right

Tariana Turia today spoke of the affects of her asthma on her family and came out in support of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation’s Balloon Day campaign.

‘Asthma has challenged us as a whanau for over a decade now,’ the Minister responsible for Māori health says.

Balloon Day is the Foundation’s annual awareness and fundraising campaign, which this year centres on an events day—Balloon Day on Saturday 9 May – during Asthma Awareness Week, 4 to 10 May, 2009. Money raised through Balloon Day goes towards childhood asthma research.

About 1 in 4 Kiwi kids has asthma and the illness is the leading reason for Kiwi kids and young people being hospitalised. Māori asthma statistics are particularly alarming. For example, from 2003 to 2005, the leading cause of public hospital admissions among children aged 1 to 4 was respiratory disease. Admissions for asthma among this group were 60 percent higher for Māori than non-Māori.

‘When I hear of any programmes and events aimed at raising awareness of the illness and helping people with asthma and their whanau, I put my total support behind them,‘ Mrs Turia says.

‘Balloon Day is a great campaign to raise awareness of the illness and to dig into our pockets to help all those who are as challenged as my whanau is, around asthma treatment and management. I encourage all New Zealanders to get behind the campaign.’

ENDS

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