Having a schools asthma nurse has improved awareness on both prevention and how to treat asthma symptoms for teachers and students across the Island. Nurse of the Year Jennifer Wilson is Bermuda's first and only schools' asthma nurse.

Children enjoy her presentations and readily recognise her in the colourful Azmobile that she rides around in, but she was particularly impressed this month with a class of Primary Two students.

Teacher Evette Fubler at Prospect Primary expands on nurse Wilson's presentations in her classroom. She said she has two students with asthma in her class this year and all their classmates know how their actions could cause one of these students to suffer an attack.

She has a strict policy of no air fresheners and no wearing of perfumes or cologne in her class. In fact she said the children are so vigilant that she even had a father who said he knew he couldn't come into the classroom because he was wearing aftershave. He said his daughter, one of Ms Fubler's students, was insistent that wearing colognes could trigger asthmatic attacks in asthmatics.

In a recent visit to the school nurse Wilson said she was surprised when the class gave her an asthma presentation. The children gave an acronym for the word asthma.

A for allergies

S for shortness of breath

T for tightness of chest

H for Healthy habits can help

M for medication

A for airways and the importance of keeping air clean