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National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

Since 1984, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has designated May to be National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. It’s a time to focus on respiratory and immune health. The awareness month aims to educate the public about asthma and allergic diseases, risk factors, symptoms, and treatment.

Countdown to National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

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The Power of Community
to Improve Asthma and Allergy Health

Asthma and allergies aren’t managed in isolation – they’re shaped by where you live, the air you breathe, and the people around you. Keeping these conditions under control takes more than medication. It takes a community.

Your community of support includes everyone who influences your health and well-being: family and friends, your health care team, school staff, employers, local neighbors, advocates, and lawmakers. When that community shows up for you, the difference is real. You can experience:

  • Better day-to-day symptom management
  • Healthier, more inclusive spaces at home, school, and work
  • Access to more treatment options
  • Stronger protections and policies that improve quality of life

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit dedicated to saving lives and improving quality of life for people with asthma and allergic diseases. AAFA offers extensive support for individuals and families, empowering you with practical tools to identify triggers, manage symptoms, and live fully.

For parents of children with food allergies, AAFA’s Kids with Food Allergies (KFA) community provides specialized resources and a network of families who understand what you’re going through.

AAFA and KFA are part of your community of support – helping you control your asthma and allergies so you can live, sleep, learn, work, and play to your fullest.

More than 106 million people in the United States have asthma and/or allergies.

28M

28M

people with asthma

22M

22M

people with food allergies

82M

82M

people with nasal allergies

These numbers paint a picture of how many people in the U.S. are managing asthma and allergies. But they don’t paint a picture of the overall impact these diseases have on individuals, families, caregivers, and communities.
More Asthma and Allergy Facts

Social Media Tools

This toolkit contains facts and resources that anyone can use to raise awareness about asthma and allergies.

Follow AAFA and its food allergy division, Kids with Food Allergies (KFA), on social media and use the hashtags #NAAAM, #AsthmaAwareness, #FoodAllergyAwareness, or #AllergyAwareness when you share these resources.

Facebook: AAFA National, Kids with Food Allergies
Instagram: AAFA National, Kids with Food Allergies
LinkedIn: AAFA National
TikTok: AAFA National, FoodAllergyToks (KFA)
BlueSky: AAFA National, Kids with Food Allergies
YouTube: AAFA National, Kids with Food Allergies

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Facts and Stats

More than 106 million people in the United States have asthma and/or allergies. Some people may have more than 1 of these conditions.

  • 28 million people in the U.S. (8 out of 100) have asthma (more than 23 million adults and about 5 million children).1,2
  • About 22 million people in the U.S. (6 out of 100) have food allergies (18 million adults and 4 million children).3,4
  • About 82 million people in the U.S. (1 in 4) have rhinitis due to nasal allergies, also called “hay fever” (67 million adults and 14 million children).3,4
  • Around 21 million adults and more than 9 million children in the U.S. have eczema. This equals about 8 out of 100 adults and 13 out of 100 children.5,6
  • There is no cure for asthma or allergies.

For more detailed data and information about allergic conditions, visit:

Or use our printable pages:

Download PDFs

Asthma Facts and FiguresDownload PDF
Allergy Facts and FiguresDownload PDF
Allergic Skin Conditions Facts and FiguresDownload PDF
Food Allergy Facts and FiguresDownload PDF
Nasal Polyps Facts and FiguresDownload PDF

Shareable Images

You can download these images and copy the caption to post to social media. We have many shareable images throughout our website. Here are some examples that help show how common asthma and allergic diseases are and their impact on communities:

A lime green circle with the text Allergies affect more than 106 million people in the United States.
Purple circle with text 28 MILLION people in the U.S. have asthma.
Light teal circle with text reading About 22 million people in the U.S. have food allergies.
Teal circle reading about 1 out of 4 adults in the U.S. has seasonal allergies.
Purple circle with text 5 MILLION children in the U.S. have asthma.
Light orange circle with text reading Around 30 million people in the U.S. have eczema.
A red circle with the text asthma causes almost 1 million emergency room visits each year.
A dark purple circle with an icon of an inhaler with the text In 2024, the average price of an albuterol inhaler was $98.
A dark teal circle with the text Asthma leads to 5 MILLION doctor visits each year.
An icon of a school on a lime green background with the text asthma is a top reason for missed school days.
A frowny face icon with text reading There is no cure for allergies. Control symptoms by avoiding triggers and taking medicines or doing allergy treatments.
Dark blue graphic with text providing details on how rare it is to die from allergies.
Dark teal graphic with icons of milk and a wedge of cheese, an egg, and a peanut, along with text reading The most common food allergies in children are milk, eggs, and peanuts.
Light teal graphic with icons of a crab, a trio of tree nuts, and a peanut, along with text reading The most common food allergies in adults are shellfish followed by peanut and tree nut.
An arrow icon with the text the people who have the highest rates of dying from asthma are adults, female, and/or Black.
Red graphic with ambulance icon and text reading Each year in the U.S., anaphylaxis results in around 50,000 emergency room visits.
Beige graphic with pill icon and text reading Older adults over age 65 are most likely to die from allergic reactions (due to medicines).
Awareness Ribbons

Help raise visibility on asthma and allergies by changing your profile pics for the month of May!

A light blue and teal ribbon with the text Asthma and Allergy Awareness aafa.org
A light blue ribbon with the text Asthma and Allergy Awareness
A teal ribbon with text Food Allergy Awareness aafa.org
Alight blue and maroon ribbon with text Eosinophil Disorder Awareness aafa.org
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Advocacy Action

Advocacy is speaking out on issues that you care about or offering your opinion and suggestions for how to improve something to the people who are in control. It is important for policymakers to hear directly from you about your experiences.

To help you get started, AAFA has an easy-to-use Advocacy Action Center that helps you connect with policymakers on current issues and proposed laws.

AAFA’s World Asthma Day with Congress on May 5 will feature livestream updates as we advocate for better health policies for our communities! We’ll bring your voices, letters, and comments to share – this is the POWER OF COMMUNITY.

References
  1. National Center for Health Statistics. 2024 NHIS Adult Summary Health Statistics. Data accessed February 19, 2026. Available from https://data.cdc.gov/d/25m4-6qqq
  2. National Center for Health Statistics. 2024 NHIS Child Summary Health Statistics. Data accessed February 19, 2026. Available from https://data.cdc.gov/d/wxz7-ekz9
  3. Bottoms-McClain, L., Giri, A., & Ng, A. (2026). Diagnosed Allergic Conditions Among Adults: United States, 2024. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc/174634
  4. Ng, A., Giri, A., & Bottoms-McClain, L. (2026). Diagnosed Allergic Conditions Among Children Ages 0−17 Years: United States, 2024. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc/174635
  5. Bottoms-McClain, L., Giri, A., & Ng, A. (2026). Diagnosed Allergic Conditions Among Adults: United States, 2024. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc/174634
  6. Ng, A., Giri, A., & Bottoms-McClain, L. (2026). Diagnosed Allergic Conditions Among Children Ages 0−17 Years: United States, 2024. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc/174635

 

Acknowledgement

Awareness month materials are developed independently by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and made possible in part by contributions from Amgen, Genentech, Sanofi, and Regeneron. We thank them for their support of 2026 National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.

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