The European Respiratory Society and the European Lung Foundation marked World COPD Day with a lung function testing event at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on Thursday 22 November.
Framed in the theme of World COPD’s Day slogan that it is never too early or too late to protect your lungs, the event aimed to raise awareness of COPD among policymakers tested. It was accompanied by a special Healthy Lungs for Life advertising campaign in the Brussels metro stations to get people thinking about COPD and the importance of lung health.
The ERS leadership was actively represented by President Elect, Thierry Troosters, who was joined by Victor Nevelsteen, who is Chair of COPD VZW, a Belgian patient organisation for people with COPD.
Vytenis Andriukaitis, the European Commissioner for Health, hosted the event and also came for a lung test. Marianne Thyssen, who is the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, also showed her support by having a lung test and talking about the ways she could support people with COPD through policy.
The European Lung Foundation were also on-hand to talk to people and give out information about COPD, spirometry testing and the Healthy Lungs for Life campaign.
The spirometry testers were organised by Daniel Schuermans of Assembly 9, and equipment was provided by Acertys. Hundreds of commission officials had their lungs tested and were very interested and engaged with the subject.