(RxWiki News) Getting flu vaccinations and having asthma medications on hand at school may help keep kids with asthma healthy, according to two new studies.
The first study assessed the effects of asthma medications being kept at school — an evaluation that followed a recent bill passed in Missouri.
The new Missouri bill provides schools with the medications and equipment needed to treat asthma. Missouri schools also have access to supplies like nebulizers and chambers, and staff can be trained to administer treatment to students who may need it.
This program is referred to as the RESCUE (Resources for Every School Confronting Unexpected Emergencies) program. This program was created by the the St. Louis chapter of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
"Schools that implemented the RESCUE program ... had great success in being able to send kids back to class,” said lead study author Dr. Manoj Warrier, MD, a member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), in a press release. “Getting kids back to class rather than sending them home or to the emergency department creates improved health for our students and better academic performances, a win-win.”
The second study looked at how many children with asthma were getting the flu vaccine. The researchers found that, although children with asthma were vaccinated at higher rates than children who did not have asthma, the number of vaccinations being administered was still lower than the goal.
“It’s important for kids with asthma to get an annual flu vaccine due to increased risk for complications with a serious infection like the flu,” said ACAAI member and lead study author Dr. Deepa Patadia, MD, in a press release.
Children with asthma may have more frequent and more serious asthma attacks if they get the flu, these researchers noted.
Speak to your child's pediatrician about how to manage your child's asthma.
These two studies were presented at the ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting. Research presented at conferences may not have been peer-reviewed.
Information on funding sources and potential conflicts of interest for these studies was not available at the time of publication.
