By Zoe Noakes and produced for online by Melissa Hunter

Health professionals gathered in Brisbane today for World Asthma Day to raise awareness of asthma-related deaths in Queensland.

In 2010, there were 17 deaths from asthma in the state, up from seven deaths in 2006.

The Asthma Foundation says the condition can be properly managed provided the right advice is given to them.

Asthma Foundation spokesman Dr Peter Anderson says any asthma-related deaths are a big concern and people are unaware of how serious the disease is.

“Asthma prevalance has been going down in the last 10 to 15 years and certainly the death rates have been going down too, which is why these new statistics are really quite alarming,” he says.

“People are not really knowing what to do or are not being really cautious or respecting the fact that asthma can have quite serious consequences.”

University of Queensland School of Psychology spokeswoman Dr Alina Morawska, says children who suffer a chronic form of asthma are often anxious and frightened about the condition.

“While parents will worry about emergencies children will worry about things like coughing at assembly and what that would look like to other children,” she says.

Parents of children who suffer from the disease are being encouraged to participate in programs such as the Triple P Positive Parenting Program.

“We are trying to help parents with that parenting role and with the struggles they might have with general behaviour and with helping with anxiety and the medical management routines,” Dr Morawska says.