NZ children struggling to breathe

One in four New Zealand children is affected by respiratory disease, says a report released today.

And the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation wants the Government to make funding for asthma a health priority. Foundation executive director Jane Patterson said New Zealand had one of the highest rates of respiratory disease in the developed world, with asthma estimated to cost the country $825 million a year.

The "chilling" document highlighted the need for the Ministry of Health to make respiratory illness a priority in its health strategy because of the "appalling prevalence of respiratory disease in children", she said.

"This would direct the attention of the Ministry of Health and district health boards towards improved strategic planning and resource allocation for people with respiratory health problems."

The foundation's report - "Trying to Catch Our Breath - the Burden of Preventable Breathing Diseases in Children and Young People" - outlines factors that have contributed to the country's poor respiratory health statistics.

Hospital admission rates for child asthma remained high and rates for Maori and Pacific Islanders had risen, Ms Patterson said.

"New Zealand continues to have one of the highest asthma prevalence rates in the world - a whopping one in four of our children is affected."

Document co-author Professor Innes Asher said income had long been recognised as the most important factor.

"We know that the number of children living in poverty increased from 16 per cent in 1988 to a staggering 29 per cent in 2000.

"The Working for Families package will alleviate the situations for only one-third of children in poverty."

The document revealed that most of the top 10 causes of potentially avoidable hospital admissions in young New Zealanders were respiratory conditions.

Those conditions included not just asthma, but also other diseases more commonly associated with Third World countries, such as bronchiectasis, bronchiolitis and pertussis (whooping cough).

Katherine Andrew of Auckland, whose son Dylan Wellacott, 13, was diagnosed with the respiratory disease Churg Strauss syndrome in 2003, said it had been a hard year when he was diagnosed.

After an initial assessment of asthma it was clear something more serious was wrong and Dylan had more blood tests, Mrs Andrew said.

"They found out more was going on and he went straight to Starship [Hospital] where he had 400ml of fluid drained from around his heart.

"He missed a lot of time off school and in the end he couldn't get out of bed - he couldn't walk, because every time he moved he would have an asthma attack."

Dylan - who has monthly check-ups - was coping well now, she said. Dylan said he was used to taking the pills now and dealing with his illness was part of his day-to-day life.

"I sometimes don't have as much energy," he said.

* The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation will hold its first Balloon Day for children with asthma on Saturday, April 29.

- NZPA