Parents can help avoid asthma attacks in their children by identifying triggers and taking some simple steps to them. Reducing contact with airborne triggers may delay or prevent asthma symptoms.

There is a scientifically recognised link between asthma and smoking.

So it is crucial not to expose children to tobacco smoke before or after birth.

Smoking during pregnancy increases the chance of the child developing wheezing, asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

The Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate organises various initiatives to raise awareness on the harmful effects of tobacco, in efforts to encourage smokers to quit and others not to take up smoking.

We also offer one-to-one counseling, a quitline for advice and smoking cessation classes. So help is there.

One of the identified asthma triggers is dust mites body parts and droppings.

Dust mites are tiny bugs that live everywhere around us. To control them, use covers on mattresses and pillows, wash bed linen in hot water weekly and get rid of feather pillows and comforters.

Eliminate rugs and carpeting whenever possible. Curtains should be washed often and airing bedrooms will help too.

Pollen is an airborne trigger that is commonly encountered during the spring, summer and early autumn times of the year.

One way to try to avoid it is by staying indoors during the peak pollen times.

Pollen counts tend to be highest during the morning, so try to go outside only in the afternoons or evenings.

On hot days, stay indoors with the air conditioning on, rather than having windows open. This also applies to travelling by car, where it is advised to keep windows closed and use the vehicle’s air conditioner.

Cockroaches and their droppings may also trigger an asthma attack.

Get rid of cockroaches in your home and stop them from coming back by avoiding leaving food around.

You can also use roach traps or gels to decrease the number of cockroaches in your rooms. Pets and animals are good company but some research shows that exposure to animals (cats and dogs in particular) may increase the likelihood of developing asthma.

Yet newer research shows that children raised on farms have fewer asthma attacks.

With this conflicting evidence, try to minimise the risk by at least keeping the pet out of the bedroom of the person with asthma.

Pets should be bathed frequently and kept outside as much as possible

Inhaling or breathing in mould can cause an asthma attack.

Keep the humidity level in your home between 35% and 50%. Try to find the source of your mould by fixing water leaks, which allow mould to grow behind walls and under floors.

Damp areas such as bathrooms, basements, and laundry rooms should be cleaned often and properly ventilated.

Infections linked to influenza and common colds can also trigger an attack. Teach your child the importance of handwashing and give him the annual influenza vaccine, which is available free of charge to all asthmatics.

Strenuous physical exercise, certainmedicines, bad weather, high humidity, breathing in cold, dry air and some foods and food additives can also be responsible for setting off an asthma attack.

Weather conditions can play a role too, as strong winds may stir up pollens and moulds.

Rain can wash pollen from the air, decreasing the pollen count immediately after a shower, however heavy rain can stimulate the trees and grasses to produce more pollen later on in the season.

If hot, humid weather triggers symptoms, make sure you keep your child in an air-conditioned environment.

There are some other irritants that can also lead to airway inflammation and flare-ups.

These include: perfumes, aerosol sprays, cleaning products, paint or gas fumes and air pollution.

The best advice for parents is to learn what triggers your child’s attacks so that you can avoid them whenever possible.

What better investment can we make in the health of our population and wealth of our society than to significantly improve our prevention efforts, treatment and response to asthma and allergies, and, in so doing, reduce the burden of disease – particularly amongst children?

Asthma cannot be cured, but the condition can be managed.

The goal of asthma management is to reduce symptoms on a day-to-day basis and to maintain normal activity levels.

Mite bites

• Recent tests showed that in every square metre of carpet or mattress there were more than 100,000 house dust mites which fed on shed scales of dead skin.

• Mattresses with a lot of springs are a good nest for dust mites and should be frequently steamed or exposed in the sun as mites can’t cope with extreme temperatures.