National Asthma Week 2025
National Asthma Week is 1-7 September 2025. The National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice program is raising awareness about the prevalence of asthma in Australia and the importance of maintaining good asthma management.
National asthma facts
- Around 2.8 million (1 in 9) people in Australia were estimated to be living with asthma in 2022.
- Asthma accounted for 2.5% of total disease burden and 35% of the total burden of disease for all respiratory conditions in 2023.
- It was the leading cause of total burden in children aged 1–9 years.
- There were 56,600 emergency department visits due to asthma in a year (in 2020-21).
- 27% of people aged 40 and under were considered to have poor asthma control based on their medication use.
- Only 32% of people with asthma have an asthma action plan.
- Up to 94% of patients with asthma do not use their asthma inhaler correctly.
An infographic poster has been developed for National Asthma Week and is available for use:
Click the links above to download and print in either size.
Sensitive Choice is a National Asthma Council Australia program, dedicated to helping people live better with asthma and allergies.
Good asthma management
To manage your asthma well it’s important to:
- Attend regular check-ups with your GP
- Follow a personal asthma action plan.
- Take prescribed medications as directed.
- Ensure proper inhaler technique.
- Identify and reduce exposure to personal asthma or allergy triggers.
Signs of good asthma control
Good asthma control means having all of the following:
- No night-time symptoms.
- No symptoms on waking.
- No reliance on reliever medication.
- No missed school or workdays.
- No limits on daily activities.
- No asthma attacks or flare-ups.
Regularly waking from asthma symptoms or using your reliever medication more than 2–3 times a week (except before exercise) should not be a ‘normal’ part of having asthma.
See your GP if you have concerns about how well your asthma is controlled.
Sensitive Choice resources
Our resources help you to understand and manage asthma and allergies so you can live and breathe better.
Our most popular resources for asthma management include:
- Asthma action plan templates
- How-to video library
- Using a spacer with your inhaler
- Understand which allergens trigger your symptoms
- Pollen and hay fever fact sheet
- Tips for creating a healthy home
- Indoor humidity levels fact sheet.
Visit our resource hub to access all the essential resources.
Understanding asthma
Dr Joel Ten, GP and spokesperson from the National Asthma Council Australia helps us deliver a short video series to help people better understand asthma. Dr Ten explains the physical changes that occurs in the airways and lungs during an asthma attack, how to recognise symptoms of asthma and the differences between asthma medications.
What does asthma look like?
Asthma is a chronic lung condition that affects the airways (the breathing tubes that carry air into our lungs). Asthma is caused by inflammation and tightening of the thin muscle around the airways which makes it harder to breathe.
Learn more about the phyiscal changes that occur to your lungs and airways during an asthma flare up.
What does asthma feel like? Understanding asthma symptoms.
People often describe having asthma as trying to breathe through a straw. The most common symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, cough, wheeze and chest tightness but it can often be tricky to discern if these symptoms are related to asthma.
View the video for a breakdown of what these symptoms can feel like for people.
What is the difference between asthma relievers and asthma preventers?
The mainstay of asthma medications is the asthma preventer, yet many people do not know the difference between their preventer and reliever medications.
Dr Joel Ten, GP, explains how both medications operate to help people manage their asthma, and the different ways these medications affect physical changes to the lungs and airways.