The Merck Foundation worked with partners in local communities, as well as other nonprofit organizations, foundations and government agencies to create a report on the increasing disparities in asthma morbidity despite the presence of known management strategies.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the adult U.S. Latino population has lower rates of asthma than the general population (7.3 percent compared to 8.4 percent), but Latino children have higher than average rates for asthma, and those rates are escalating.
According to the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), numerous forms of pollution, such as toxic chemicals, are hidden in "plain sight," and those dangerous chemicals are affecting the Latino community. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy noted more than 3.6 million Latinos have developed asthma in the United States (U.S.), including 1 in 10 Latino children.
