World Asthma Day is observed on the first Tuesday of May every year, which fell on May 5 in 2026. The day aims to spread awareness about asthma, a chronic lung condition in which the airways become inflamed and narrow, causing breathlessness, wheezing and coughing. The theme for 2026 is 'Access to anti-inflammatory inhalers for everyone with asthma – still an urgent need'. The theme stresses that inhaled anti-inflammatory medicines, which control the underlying inflammation, must reach every patient, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.