One in eight New Zealanders have asthma. It’s also estimated that 360,000 school days are lost each year due to asthma-related symptoms in children.
The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ provide the below resources to assist teachers and school children with their learning about asthma:
The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ recommend that every school have a School Asthma Policy. Find out more.
An Authority exists under the Medicines Regulations 1984, Regulation 44(I) for school principals of NZ Registered Schools to procure a bronchodilator inhaler for emergency medical kits, for the purpose of the emergency treatment of asthma. Click here to view the Ministry of Health Authority.
To order an Asthma Emergency Medical Kit for your school, please see here for more details.
The Teachers' Asthma Toolkit is a free interactive website developed for teachers to have all the important information about asthma in one place. Instructions for administering a bronchodilator inhaler (e.g. salbutamol inhaler - brands Ventolin or SalAir) in an asthma emergency, by teachers or appropriately trained school personnel, can be found in the ‘It’s an emergency!’ section of the Teachers’ Asthma Toolkit. Find out more
The Sailor the Pufferfish Show is a musical asthma education show, performed in primary schools. Performed in English or te reo Māori, the show explains what asthma is, includes tips on how to manage asthma, common asthma triggers, and also what to do in an asthma emergency. Find out more.
Join Sailor the Pufferfish and his new friend Jelly in this animated and fun online learning. The Sailor Digital Classroom is for everyone to enjoy (people with asthma, whānau and friends) and can be completed in either English or te reo Māori. Made up of four short videos followed by brief quizzes you can learn all about asthma in this interactive resource. Find out more.
