Boston Herald: Too many moms mum on asthma

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Too many moms mum on asthma

By _ Fargen_ (mailto:jfargen@...)

Boston Herald Health & Medical Reporter

Thursday, August 24, 2006 - Updated: 11:18 AM EST

Asthma attacks soar each fall when kids go back to schools filled with dust,

germs and mold, but a startling new poll gives parents a flunking grade for

failing to tell teachers about their child’s potentially deadly condition.

Nearly 75 percent of parents say they are aware of the risks asthmatic kids

face when the September school bell rings, but only 48 percent say anything

to teachers, according to an American Lung Association poll of 2,000 parents

released this month. Only 42 percent make sure their child’s medicine is

available at school.

Nearly 14 percent of New England children have asthma, the highest rate in

the nation.

“Every second counts. For parents not to do that kind of stuff is just

beyond me,†said Beth Sambuceti, a Southboro nurse whose son, , 11,

has

asthma.

Sambuceti said she gives the school nurse ’s Asthma Action Plan, his

inhaler and emergency medications the first week.

Doctors say school buildings can be disaster zones for asthmatics. Over the

summer, pet dander mixes with dust, leaky roofs create mold in many schools

that have been closed up for months.

“If they are on the verge of an attack, going into some place that has

problems can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,†said Sharon

Schumack,

education director at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New England

chapter.

A recent Canadian study drew a direct link between the start of school and

asthma attacks.

But Dr. Saryan, chairman of the department of allergy and immunology at

Lahey Clinic, blamed viral infections and high-season allergens such as

ragweed and house dust mites. “This is peak period in New England,†he

said. “I

don’t think it’s just because they’re going back to school per se. Some

of

it is the time the kids are going into school.â€

jfargen@....