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Experts have warned that children who have asthma are more prone to develop the H1N1 viral infection.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who was addressing the students and the parents at the Thurgood Marshall Elementary, projected the Philadelphia MCAN as a model for childhood asthma management.
The Philadelphia MCAN project, which was launched in 2005, has played a major role in reducing the number of children suffering from asthma.
"Nothing is more important than keeping our children healthy, in school and ready to learn as we start the new school year," said Dr. Floyd Malveaux, Executive Director of MCAN and former Dean of the College of Medicine at Howard University.
"We applaud Secretary Sebelius for recognizing that staying healthy can be a challenge for students with asthma – a factor that is even further complicated with the possibility of being exposed to the H1N1 virus, which can increase the severity of asthma symptoms, leading to possible hospitalisations," Malveaux added.
Three services are offered by this program to the children, who suffer from asthma.
First is the Community Asthma Prevention Program classes during which the parents as well as other caretakers of the children along with those who suffer from asthma are given information about the medical condition. The next is the home visits provided by the CAPP for eliminating as well as restricting allergens and irritants from home. The last is the Health Promotion Council (HPC) Link Line services, which will help the coordination of the family with the care coordinators.
"By collaborating with specific schools to identify children that have asthma, the Philadelphia MCAN project has armed school nurses with essential information to assist students who are at higher risk for complications with H1N1 and seasonal flu virus, allowing them to be better prepared to manage these children at school," said Dr. Michael Rosenthal of Thomas Jefferson University and co-lead investigator of the Philadelphia MCAN program.
