Asthma deaths in the United Kingdom and Wales have increased more than 25% since 2007, according to a new report that attributes the increase to environmental pollution.
Last year 1,320 people in England and Wales died from asthma attacks, according to the Office for National Statistics. There were 1,033 such deaths in 2007.
Asthma UK said that a lack of good, basic care also played a role in rising deaths, with many people unaware that asthma can prove fatal.
Kay Boycott, chief executive of the charity, said that complacency could be costing people’s lives. “It is shocking to see that asthma deaths in England and Wales are the highest they have been this century, with a worrying trend upwards since 2009,” she said.
