John Weiner, a medical practitioner and consultant physician in Australia who specializes in the treatment of allergic diseases and asthma, said that in Australia there are a number of factors that contribute to the increase in asthma. "In Australia we have a combination of a susceptible population from a genetic point of view, and very high levels of allergens, such as dust mite, pollens and molds," he said. Weiner, who has clinics in Melbourne, Frankston, and in Alice Springs, Central Australia, said that increased asthma is linked to decreased infections in childhood.

"It appears that your immune system "turns off" its allergy capabilities if it is exposed to infection at an early age," he said. "So asthma is predominately a disease of "Western" lifestyle."

According to the Asthma Foundation of Victoria, autumn and winter fires can be a problem for some people with asthma who are sensitive to smoke from wood fires. While they can avoid such heating inside their own home, many people are affected by chimney smoke from their neighborsí homes.

The Environmental Protection Authority works with local governments to minimize or eliminate incinerators and open burning. Janet White, member of the Brisbane Rainforest Action and Information Network (BRAIN), said that in because it so humid in Brisbane, wood burning is not as much as problem as the burning of sugar cane fields.

"Sugar cane fields are traditionally burnt after harvest to get rid of the trash," she said. "Also state forests and national parks are sometimes burnt as control measures."

White said she feels air pollution from car exhaust also causes problems for people with asthma. "I understand it is the particles especially the really small ones known as PM10 and PM2.5 which cause the problem," she said. "I am not sure how, except that they irritate parts of the lung or bronchial tubes, causing them to restrict. Thus vehicle exhausts which also contain these particles cause problems."

White said she feel the air pollution problem is not getting better. "The state of Queensland and Brisbane City Council both accept that vehicle kilometers will increase and therefore if nothing is done, then it follows that they think it is acceptable that air quality will deteriorate, as extra people equals extras vehicle which equal more vehicle kilometers," she said.

White said that she thinks some action is being taken to fix this problem. "One measure currently being proposed that is a step towards improvement is the encouragement of public transport, but it wonít compensate enough because of the magnitude of the expected population increase," she said. "Also huge numbers of people from other Australian states are moving to the south east of Queensland."

Weiner, who has a public hospital appointment at Frankston Hospital is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine, Monash University, said that air pollution affects asthma only in certain cases.

"It is more the type rather than amount of pollution that may be important. The dirty pollution of factories can lead to chronic bronchitis (infection) and may lead to less asthma," he said. "But motor vehicle pollution may increase the tendency for both allergy and asthma."

White, member of BRAIN, said she also thinks that chemicals such as herbicide and mosquito control chemicals also cause problems for people with asthma. "The mosquito control people say they are harmless- they use Bacillus thuringiensis." she said. "Sometimes I am bit skeptical but that is because I am lucky enough not to suffer from asthma!"

According to the Asthma Foundation of Victoria, people with asthma have sensitive airways. When they are exposed to certain triggers (e.g. cigarette smoke), their airways narrow making it hard for them to breathe. The main symptoms of asthma are wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and a tightness in the chest.

There are six steps to control asthma. A person with asthma should take asthma medications, monitor his/her asthma, and exercise or be active. One should also avoid asthma triggers, have an Asthma Action Plan, and visit the doctor regularly. Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. Getting the asthma under control means that a person is able to do daily activities without having asthma symptoms.

White said that certain climates affect asthma sufferers more than others. "I read once that it was better to vacuum that to wipe dust away with a damp cloth because some aspect of the humidity is also a trigger for asthma," she said. "Brisbaneís climate is very humid and people forget this when they live here."