The brand promotes indoor air quality improvement to support the Asthma Awareness Month
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Panasonic Eco Solutions – a division of Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa (PMMAF) is promoting indoor air quality improvement for asthma respite through its ‘Breathe Clean’ campaign, which encourages people to improve indoor air quality to reduce asthma triggers in May, which is observed as asthma awareness month.
Today, Asthma affects over 300 million people globally, and is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases, suffered by both adults, and children. It has been recognised by World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the diseases under the Sustainable Development Goal for reducing noncommunicable disease by 1/3 by 2030. WHO has also estimated that with the current rising trends, asthma sufferers may reach 400 million by 2025. And the Middle East is no exception, there has been an increase in asthma cases in the region over the past several decades.
A research conducted by doctors at the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Saudi Arabia found that the country leads in Asthma cases with around 24% of its population suffering. Qatar and Kuwait came next, with a rate of 19.8% and 16.8% respectively, followed by 13% in the United Arab Emirates. Oman had the lowest prevalence among the Gulf Cooperation Council with a rate of just more than 10%.
This upturn in Asthma cases was attributed to the rapid change in lifestyle, dietary habits and higher exposure to indoor allergens, tobacco smoke, dust and sandstorms. Furthermore, advances in construction technology have resulted in increased use of synthetic building materials to create closed environments in which contaminants are readily produced.
While air pollution does not cause asthma, it can definitely trigger asthma symptoms or an asthma attack if somebody already suffers from the condition. Most people know about the problems caused by outdoor air pollution, but are not aware that indoor air pollution also can be a serious concern. Asthma can be put in check by controlling the quality of the air in our homes, and using an air purifier can be very beneficial, not just for the Asthma patient, but for others in the house as well.
Mr. Hidenori Matsubara, Deputy General Manager – IAQ, Panasonic Eco Solutions Middle East & Africa comments, “Panasonic takes keen interest in providing solutions that help in making homes healthier and improving people’s lives by bringing high-quality Air Purifiers into the regional market. These products for Middle Eastern homes, help negate the health risks posed by contaminated indoor air and combat the deficiency of cross ventilation solutions in the region. We now have the devices to help maintain air quality in our homes and offices. Asthma is no longer a prohibitive disease, but something than can be controlled, and Panasonic is keen to keeping the air we breathe pollutant free.”
Panasonic offers one of the biggest Air Purifier with Humidifier in the Middle East which can cover an area of up to 71 m2. Another striking feature introduced in this region is the “Sandstorm mode” which is developed considering the sandstorms in GCC countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and others.