Back-To-School Asthma And Anaphylaxis Basics
School children with asthma and food and
venom allergy face uncertainty and challenges not experienced by most
classmates. The average classroom, lunch room, playground, class party
and athletic field is teeming with allergens capable of provoking asthma
or allergy symptoms that students with these conditions must prevent
and treat with vigilance and balance.
"It's not possible nor necessary to put children in a bubble," says Nancy Sander,
President and Founder of Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of
Asthmatics (AANMA). "But it is necessary to take reasonable precautions
to reduce risk, recognize when accidental exposures have occurred and
treat them immediately with the right medications."
"We want all school children, including those with asthma and
anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, to have full access to every
academic and social opportunity available. It takes planning and good
communication between the school and health care provider," says Sally Schoessler, RN, BSN, MSEd, Director of Nursing Education at the National Association of School Nurses.
Stephen Conley, PhD, Executive Director
of the American School Health Association, adds, "Student health plans
and school policy should be based on medical evidence and the individual
needs of each student. School nurses and administrators must receive
annual or twice yearly training to make sure they know how to handle
asthma and anaphylaxis emergencies before they happen."
Parents are responsible for ensuring school emergency care plans get
completed on time and accurately. AANMA offers these tips for families
as children head back to school this fall:
Back-to-school ABCs
- Anaphylaxis or Asthma Action Plan: Spells out what symptoms to watch for, how to treat them and when to call for help. Make copies for school and backpack.
- Backpack medications include a bronchodilator (albuterol or levalbuterol) inhaler for asthma and two epinephrine auto-injectors for anaphylaxis: Up-to-date supplies of these life-saving medications for backpack and school clinic.
- Completed and signed school health forms: Include emergency contact info and permission to carry and self-administer asthma or anaphylaxis medication. Epinephrine, not antihistamines, is always the first line of treatment for anaphylaxis.
SOURCE Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics
