Even though we have the most advanced medical system in the world, we don t know where asthma and many other chronic diseases strike and in what numbers. In addition, Health Track s analysis of CDC data shows that 30 states have no current report describing asthma in their jurisdictions. CDC s data is contained in a program evaluation where state officials were asked a series of questions to determine the level and adequacy of ongoing efforts to track and monitor asthma. Even in the 23 states that do track and monitor asthma on an ongoing basis, CDC does not know how adequate those efforts are.
Tracking is an early warning system that ultimately can help prevent the spread of asthma.
The illness restricts the activities of children and adults in the US more than 100 million days each year. While some jurisdictions track asthma at the state and local level, it is difficult to determine trends across state and city lines, and few jurisdictions track the links between asthma and known environmental triggers. According to the Health-Track paper, states often lack the funding and staff to adequately respond to the asthma epidemic. Health-Track seeks to improve the nation s capacity to prevent chronic diseases starting with the establishment of nationwide systems to track these illnesses, as well as exposure to environmental factors.