GAAPP launches African and Middle East alliance on lung health

GAAPP and 22 member groups from 10 African countries have formed AMEA to push awareness, earlier diagnosis and better treatment for respiratory and allergic diseases. The alliance meets Aug. 8-9 in Nairobi as asthma and COPD remain major causes of illness and death across Africa.

Why it matters: - Respiratory diseases remain a major public-health burden across Africa and the Middle East. - Asthma, COPD and other lung conditions can limit daily life, delay care and increase preventable deaths. - AMEA is meant to unify patient groups around awareness, diagnosis, treatment access and research funding.

What happened: - GAAPP and 22 local member organizations created AMEA, an African and Middle East regional alliance. - The alliance includes groups from Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Burundi and Zambia. - GAAPP announced AMEA's second regional meeting for Aug. 8-9, 2026, in Nairobi, Kenya. - Perpetual Obiageri Nwangoro, African & Middle East Regional Alliance Administrator at GAAPP, said the Nairobi meeting is intended to strengthen awareness, diagnosis and patient care.

The details: - In 2021, lung diseases were among the three leading causes of mortality globally, causing over 18 million deaths. - In Africa, 1 in 10 children have asthma symptoms, making asthma the most common non-communicable disease in children and adolescents. - In Cameroon, pollution and disease stigma remain barriers to asthma control. - In Nigeria, the cost of asthma medicines remains a barrier because the drugs are not subsidized. - In South Africa, lack of efficient diagnosis is a barrier to care, despite medication availability. - South Africa has the highest prevalence of childhood asthma in Africa. - COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide and an important cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. - Smoking is a major COPD risk factor in sub-Saharan Africa, and exposure needs to be reduced. - AMEA says its goals include public education, encouraging people with symptoms to seek medical advice, improving access to care and treatment, and supporting research and medical education. - The alliance says it represents patient communities across respiratory, allergic, skin and other non-communicable disease advocacy areas. - GAAPP is an international network of more than 200 patient organizations focused on allergy and immunology conditions. - GAAPP advocates for awareness, equitable access to care and patient-centered research. More information is available in GAAPP's announcement.

Between the lines: - The new alliance points to a gap between disease burden and health-system response across the region. - The country examples show different barriers in different markets: stigma, affordability and diagnosis. - The Nairobi meeting appears designed to turn scattered advocacy into a coordinated regional agenda. - The focus on patient organizations suggests the alliance wants to influence policy through community pressure as well as public education.

What's next: - AMEA leaders are expected to use the Nairobi meeting to share best practices and set next steps for regional cooperation. - The alliance is likely to press governments and health systems for earlier diagnosis, better medication access and more research support. - GAAPP and its member groups are expected to continue outreach around respiratory and allergic disease awareness across Africa and the Middle East.

The bottom line: - AMEA gives patient advocates a regional platform at a time when respiratory diseases remain underdiagnosed, under-treated and costly across much of Africa.