World Asthma Day: ‘Not normal’ for kids to struggle with breathing or cough

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is raising funds to provide free asthma emergency kits to schools in need. Photo / Supplied

For this year’s World Asthma Day, a local expert has issued a reminder: shortness of breath or coughing is not normal among children.

At last measure, the Northland District Health Board had the country’s fourth-highest rate of hospital admissions due to asthma (2019) and the third-highest rate of death from asthma (between 2012 and 2017).

That was according to a 2020 report by the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation, which is working to raise funds to provide free asthma emergency kits to schools in need.

Dr Ailsa Tuck is the community paediatric lead at Te Whatu Ora Te Tai Tokerau, and emphasised the role of poorly controlled asthma as a key risk factor for longer-term poor respiratory health.

“Respiratory conditions have an effect on overall health, and kids with poorly controlled asthma are much more likely to suffer from other respiratory conditions,” Tuck said.

“It’s really not normal for kids to have trouble with shortness of breath, coughing at night, or experience breathing challenges or coughing while being active.

“You want a kid who can do all the normal things and participate fully in their life, which includes running around and sleeping well.

“Just controlling asthma can get rid of things like their chronic cough.”

Tuck said greater awareness of asthma would support its effective management and, crucially, allow children to grow into healthier adults who did not struggle with preventable respiratory conditions.

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ chief executive Letitia Harding said one in eight New Zealand children has asthma, an estimated 3000 children are hospitalised annually due to the condition, and it results in about 350,000 lost school days.

“Every classroom in every school will have a child with asthma,” Harding said.

“We want to ensure schools are equipped with appropriate medicine for an asthma emergency, and clear instructions for educators on how to help their students.”

Chicky Rudkin is principal at Kaikohe East School, which received a kit recently.

“We were able to take it on our school-wide trips out to The Hole in the Rock, which certainly gave us the confidence to know that should anyone with asthma need assistance we were covered and had what we needed,” Rudkin said.

“Our children do have their own individual pumps at school, but this mechanism is far easier for days like this.

“We are truly appreciative and feel that offering it to other schools would be a great thing.”

Harding said many individual students may have an inhaler at school for personal use in an emergency, but not always.

“The kit’s contents can be absolutely lifesaving if a child is having an asthma emergency and needs medication.”

The foundation is working to get asthma emergency kits into all primary schools and is calling for donations and support from generous individuals and businesses.

“Every dollar raised will go towards providing asthma emergency kits to schools in need.”

“The foundation receives no government funding, so we are calling on the generosity of New Zealanders to help us do this vital work.”

Harding said $20,000 in donations would allow about 400 primary schools to receive a free kit, which they also sell via their website for $25 each.

The Foundation will host a webinar for parents and caregivers of children with asthma tonight at 7 o’clock. Go to: worldasthmaday.org.nz/worldasthmadaywebinar

To make a donation, fundraise or learn more about the foundation’s World Asthma Day campaign, go to: worldasthmaday.org.nz