As COVID-19 infections and related deaths increase, lung disease is now a leading cause of death in America. To help expand access to science-based information about lung disease, lung cancer and COVID-19, the American Lung Association announced today that its website, Lung.org, is now translated to the top 10 languages spoken in the U.S.
The Lung Association added Spanish to the original English-language website in 2021 and starting today, the website will also be available in Arabic, Chinese (simplified Mandarin), Filipino, French, German, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese. This is more important than ever, as each year 157,000 Americans die from chronic respiratory diseases including asthma and COPD, nearly 140,000 die from lung cancer, and more than 49,000 die from pneumonia and influenza, not to mention thousands more from sarcoidosis and other lung diseases. In addition, COVID-19 resulted in approximately 375,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2020.
“With the arrival of COVID-19, we have seen fatalities from lung disease increase by 80%, making this a leading cause of death in this country in 2020,” said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Now is the time to make lung health and lung disease prevention a priority for every individual, as well as public health and research institutions.”
The expanded website translation is part of an ongoing effort by the Lung Association to maximize its community engagement with historically underrepresented communities through embracing diversity, equity and inclusion within the organization and the individuals it serves.
“Our commitment is to continue to invest in resources to educate Americans about lung health and wellness,” said Julia Fitzgerald, chief marketing officer of the Lung Association. “By translating our website into more languages, we are able to be more inclusive and reach more people with this lifesaving information.”
For media interested in speaking with an expert about lung health, lung diseases and/or COVID-19, contact the American Lung Association at [email protected] or at 312-940-7001.
