The asthma rate for city chidren is among the highest in the nation and while there's been an improvement in some neighborhoods the problem persists in many others. Health Reporter Erin Billups looks at the growing number of kids going to the emergency room to treat asthma in this exclusive report.
The number of children being treated in emergency rooms for asthma attacks has climbed 40 percent over the past decade in the Bronx where eight percent of kids age five to 14 have asthma.
Brooklyn saw a 15 percent rise in asthma related ER visits.
"Children who live in poverty who are exposed to second hand smoke, whose providers may not be as educated about asthma issues, whose parents may not be as educated about asthma issues, indoor allergens, the quality of the air on the outside, all contribute to increased rates of asthma," says Dr. George Askew, Deputy Health Commissioner, Division of Family & Child Health.
The city's health department has long educated parents about the signs and symptoms of asthma attacks. But after metting with families across the city, Askew says his agency has decided to become more proactive with an advertising and outreach campaign.
"What we want to do is prevent attacks from happening," he adds.
Askew says parents need to sit down with their child's doctor and come up with a treatment plan.
"If you're not having regular asthma attacks you may not think your child needs daily medicine, because your child looks perfectly fine. But the asthma is still there even though they look perfectly fine," says Askew.
The department also is asking parents to complete forms enabling their children to take medicine during the school day.
"There are studies that show giving it in schools just for five days a week is more effective, or as effective as parents who are trying to give it daily for seven days during the week," says Askew.
Asthma related ER visits dropped in East Harlem after the health department opened the Asthma Center for Excellence. The center encourages parents to remove allergy triggers in homes and stick to treatment plans. but the city can't afford to open more centers in other high needs areas.
"There's capacity issues certainly, so what we're doing with this campaign, is doing a little bit of that work by helping parents understand what they can do," notes Askew.