SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Shirley Griffith.
BOB DOUGHTY: And I'm Bob Doughty. Spring has returned to the United States. The sky is blue, the grass is green and many plants are flowering. Spring can be a beautiful time of year. But it is especially troublesome for people with asthma. High pollen levels can keep asthma sufferers from enjoying spring (sounds off) flowers and the weather.
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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: May is Asthma Awareness Month in the United States. And May first is World (missing l sound) Asthma Day. The Global Initiative for Asthma, or GINA, organizes the event every year. GINA is a joint effort of the World Health Organization and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of America's National Institutes of Health (very good this time).
