In 1989, 964 Australians died from asthma. By 1998 this figure had fallen to 685, a drop of 30 per cent. By 2004 asthma related deaths had fallen to 311. While this is a vast improvement, it is still unacceptable as most of these deaths are preventable. Asthma is a potentially unpredictable and dangerous disease that is often underestimated. In 2003 and 2005 studies* found that many people living in rural areas did not use ambulances for asthma when they should. They didn’t appreciate how well ambulance paramedics are trained, or how the special drugs they carry can treat asthma.

During the study period a number of acutely ill rural and remote area patients were transported to hospital by private vehicles and a significant number of these patients got worse on the way. In contrast, of all the people with asthma transported by ambulance paramedics during the study period not one person deteriorated or failed to improve. This site has been designed to not only help you understand the causes of an asthma attack, but to help people with asthma to know when, how and why to call an ambulance for asthma. Don’t be one of those who find themselves in trouble on the side of the road on the way to hospital.

* Asthma Innovative Management Undertaken by Monash University Department of Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice and funded by Department of Health and Aging, Asthma sub-section.