Gyeonggi-do Atopy · Asthma Education Information Center in Korea: a key partner in the Korean Asthma Allergy Program.

ABSTRACT

Allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis are common and cause high socioeconomic burden. Allergic disease is a matter of not just for a patient, but also for a family and the society. The Korean government, the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency, started the nationwide asthma and atopic disease prevention and management plan in collaborations with the opinion leaders from the Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology, and the Korea Asthma Allergy Foundation since 2007. Seoul Atopy · Asthma Education Information Center was established in 2008 by the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Seoul metropolitan government to provide the reliable and accurate information on asthma and allergic diseases. In 2011, Gyeonggi-do Atopy ∙ Asthma Education Information Center was established by the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Gyeonggi-do provincial government. The activities of the center are as follows (1) atopy ∙ asthma-friendly school program, (2) development/distribution of the educational materials, (3) open lectures for the community, patients, their caregivers, older people, nurses, pharmacists, and doctors, (4) collaborations with the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the Gyeonggi-do provincial government, the office of education, and the public health centers, (5) collaborations with the Gyeonggi-do fire services to educate 119 rescue teams on the allergic emergency conditions, (6) international collaborations. In this article, 10 years of experience and achievement from the Gyeonggi-do Atopy ∙ Asthma Education Information Center were described, especially on the atopy ∙ asthma-friendly school program.