Parents of children with asthma are being reminded to be prepared for the start of the school year.

A spokeswoman for asthma charity Open Airways said that a spike in the number of asthma attacks and emergency room visits occurred during the first few weeks of the return to the classroom.

“Students have been in camps enjoying the fresh air and swimming, classrooms have been closed during the summer and many students will have travelled overseas bringing a variety of different virus and cold infections back to Bermuda,” the spokeswoman said.

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“The first few weeks can be challenging for a student with asthma.”

The charity said that while children may not have been using prevent inhalers over the summer, it was important that they were using it as prescribed.

“Each child should always have a reliever inhaler such as Ventolin and a spacer available, either in the school bag or held by the teacher for younger children,” the spokeswoman said.

“Global asthma guidelines recommend students over the age of 12 years should talk to their doctor about Smart Asthma Therapy, using one inhaler such as Symbicort instead of two to control asthma.

“No person over 12 years should be prescribed Ventolin as their only inhaler. When this is the case, deaths, hospital admissions, emergency visits and flare-ups are higher.

“Smart Therapy, where one inhaler is used for both prevention and relief of symptoms is best practice. It contains both the anti-inflammatory and a longer acting anti-bronchospasm medication.”

Children with asthma should also have a written “Asthma Action Plan” that should be reviewed by a paediatrician with a copy given to the child’s school.

Children with asthma should also be included on the 2023-2024 Bermuda Student Asthma Registry so that asthma specialists and their teachers know the nature and severity of your child’s asthma.

“Let’s be prepared for the new school year and make sure we do not see large numbers of children visiting the emergency room and missing time from school,” the spokeswoman added.

“We want all of our students to have a happy healthy school year and be able to participate in all school activities including sports.”