Expected spike in asthma attacks for back-to-school kids

Parents and teachers are being warned of a spike in asthma attacks, potentially resulting in higher hospital admissions in the first weeks of school.

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ (ARFNZ) urges everyone to familiarise themselves with the signs of an asthma attack and to know how to react.

Speaking on Pacific Mornings, the foundation’s Chief Executive Letitia Harding says kids returning to school are more prone to asthmatic flare ups during term one than in winter.

“It’s actually worse than the winter period. Some people don’t realise that weeks three and four of term one in particular.”

ARFNZ states one in eight kids in Aotearoa have asthma with Pacific people 3.2 times more likely to be hospitalised because of it.

Indications of an asthma attack include an intensifying cough, ongoing wheezing, difficulty breathing, and/or a sensation of tightness in the chest.

Harding says a change of environment, exposure to different allergens, and emotional changes such as increased stress or anxiety in starting school are contributing factors to the surge in asthmatic incidents among children.

Harding adds that asthma has no cure so parents and schools need to be properly equipped and well educated to manage their children’s breathing and prevent hospitalisation.

“Make sure they’ve got their reliever, their medication. But also if they’re starting school making sure the school actually has an asthma management policy.I I think that’s really important so that they know what to do in an emergency.”

Watch our full interview with Letitia Harding below.