Back to school asthma check

By Zoe McMaugh

Jan 17, 2025

Parents and carers of children with asthma are being encouraged to book in an asthma check-up now to avoid the annual February ‘back-to-school asthma spike’.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

Dr Geshani Jayasuriya, a paediatric respiratory physician and member of the National Asthma Council Australia (NAC) Guidelines Committee, said now is a great time to help get children asthma-ready for the school year ahead.

“One in nine children live with asthma in Australia and going back to school should be an exciting time for these children and their parents,” she said.

“However, changes in routine during the holidays which may have resulted in missed preventer doses, combined with exposure to shared viruses in the classroom and a change of environment, can leave children more vulnerable to asthma flare-ups in the month following the return to school.

“Unfortunately, this results in a ‘back to school asthma spike’ each February with some children even requiring hospital admission to deal with asthma flare-ups or attacks.”

Dr Jayasuriya said booking your child's annual asthma review before the school holidays end can help manage their asthma before the term starts.

She added that it was important for children with asthma to be vaccinated if possible before the start of the school year.

You can download the NAC’s Back to School checklist for more information, and other resources are also available at nationalasthma.org.au.

By Zoe McMaugh

Senior journalist