Asthma: the Learning Killer

The leading cause of absence from schools nationwide is not flu or sprained ankles but asthma. In Orange County, the asthma rate for children is more than twice the national average, a fact that has drawn attention from health care workers.

Families with insurance and an ability to navigate the health care system usually are able to help children cope with the chronic disease that inflames the airways and leaves sufferers wheezing.

But for those without insurance, asthma is a bigger problem. That’s especially true if parents don’t speak English.

Participants at a forum in Costa Mesa this month warned that Latino children are likely to remain at high risk for asthma and other allergies without a concerted educational campaign.

Informing parents of the availability of treatment is one remedy. So is ensuring that teachers and school officials are aware of the symptoms and of how to get assistance for students.

Orange County has undergone a striking reduction in school nurses in recent years, to the point where today there are only 160 of them in a county with nearly half a million students. Getting medical help for children suffering from asthma should be routine.

Healthy children are at an advantage when it comes to paying attention and learning in school.