Asthma and Respiratory Foundation warns of spike in illness

Back to school and breathless: Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ warns of spike in illness

If your child falls sick not long after returning to school, you’re not alone. Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is encouraging parents to prepare for the back-to-school spike in illness, where every year the start of the first term coincides with an increase in hospital admissions for children with asthma.

“This not unusual when going back to school after a long break,” says Teresa Demetriou, the Foundation’s national education services manager. “This can be due to children sitting in close proximity to others who may have coughs and colds, or having had less strict asthma management over the holidays. Other causes for the asthma flare-ups could be a change of environment, such as greater exposure to allergens in classrooms like mould spores and dust. Changing emotions can also be a trigger, such as high levels of stress and anxiety that often come with a return to school.”

At school, increased exposure to germs and illnesses such as a cold or flu may also trigger an asthma attack, or can settle on the chest and turn into pneumonia. It is estimated that 550,000 school days are lost every year due to asthma and asthma-related sickness, but the main step families can take to reduce this is prevention. Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is urging parents to get their children vaccinated every year, as strains may be different from previous years leaving many people unprotected. For those with respiratory conditions, flu vaccinations are free.

“The best thing to do is be as prepared as possible” says Demetriou, “parents should ensure their child’s preventer medication is being used as prescribed and that a reliever inhaler is taken into school every day. A copy of your up-to-date management plan should be given to your child’s teacher as well so that they know what to look for when your child is having difficulty breathing, and what to do in the event of an emergency.”

In New Zealand, over 460,000 people take medication for asthma, including one in seven children.

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ website has free resources available to download, including self-management plans.

ENDS

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