Asthma
flu vaccine every year. This is especially important for kids with asthma. Although children are often scared of getting shots, the flu vaccine helps to decrease the risk of influenza, which can be a serious ill- ness for kids with asthma.
Avoid Smoke Exposure Smoke is a known irritant to lungs. This not only includes cigarette smoke, but smoke from wood-burning fireplaces. If you must burn wood in your home for heat, keep your child as far away from the fireplace as possible. Also, if adults must smoke, they should only smoke outside the home. Smoking in a different room from the child, in a room with open win- dows or in the bathroom with an exhaust fan are not safe options for protecting your child from cigarette smoke.
Take Precautions During Exercise or Play Breathing in cold air does not cause colds or the flu, but it can cause the lungs to spasm or tighten in kids with asthma. Cold air is also dry. Drier air can be another trigger for asthma symptoms. There are
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several steps that can help protect lungs from cold air. Nose breathing can warm the tem-
perature of the air before reaching the lungs. Encourage older kids to breathe through their noses rather than through their mouths when outdoors. Covering the mouth with a mask or scarf when outdoors is another way to warm and humidify air. During extremely cold weather, it
may be necessary to avoid playing or exercising outdoors. There is not a set temperature that is too cold for children with asthma. If your child must play or exercise outdoors, choosing a time later in the afternoon when the temperature is warmer may be helpful. Warming up for 20 to 30 minutes indoors before exercis- ing in the cold weather may also help decrease the chance of asthma symptoms from cold air.
Make Your Home an Asthma- Safe Zone Replace your furnace filters before turning on the heater for the first time. Furnace filters collect dust that can trig- ger asthma symptoms when the furnace
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