40% fall in asthma deaths

A DRAMATIC 40% reduction in the number of asthma deaths last year has been cautiously welcomed by the Asthma Society of Ireland.

The Central Statistics Office reported 34 asthma deaths in 2010 — the lowest recorded figure to date.

“While it is difficult to identify any one reason for the dramatic fall in 2010, reducing asthma deaths has been at the core of the Asthma Society’s five-year strategy,” it stated yesterday.