New Zealand has double the rate of asthma per head of population than that of other countries in the OECD and Hawke's Bay fares even worse.
But on World Asthma Day, Hawke's Bay Hospital's respiratory clinical nurse specialist Kate Te Pou said a respiratory project being delivered in Hawke's Bay has breathed new life into the lives of asthmatics.
Ms Te Pou describes the initiative, brought to the district by fellow respiratory specialist Sue Ward, as massive.
"Since the project was put in place we've gone from 600 coming into Villa 2 for spirometry, down to 50 last year. Our acute waiting list was five months - now it's three weeks. Hospital bed use has gone down - it's a big project."
Ms Te Pou said it was all about early detection. "We have a terrible situation in Hawke's Bay - it's an epidemic. We want everyone to have an action plan."