CAMPAIGNERS are aiming to send extra school nurses on a specialist course in a bid to prevent another asthma tragedy in East Lancashire.

The move comes as new research revealed that one in three schoolchildren complained of asthma symptoms during the past year.

Twelve school nurses in Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley have completed the intensive Asthma Diploma in the past two years.

But the local branch of the National Asthma Campaign aims to increase the number of trained nurses in an effort to raise awareness of how they should cope if a youngster suffered an asthma attack.

The organisation launched the appeal to train up school nurses after the tragic death of 14-year-old Farzana Kausar, after an asthma attack at Witton Park High School, Blackburn, in 1996.

Her death triggered a flood of calls from worried nurses who did not know what to do in the event of a youngsters suffering an attack.

Ann Wainwright, co-ordinator of the local branch of the National Asthma Campaign, said: "When I first became involved in the organisation about six years ago there was nowhere near as many young people with asthma, or asthma symptoms.

"Now if you asked a room full of 100 children how many had asthma symptoms, or associated conditions, including eczema or hayfever, there would not be many left who were unaffected."

She said many young sufferers were also struggling to receive the correct diagnosis or treatment.

Meanwhile, the research at the St George's Hospital Medical School in London found that a higher incidence of wheezing among 12 to 14 year-olds compared to previous studies.

One in three youngsters complained of asthma symptoms, but only half these pupils were diagnosed with asthma.

One in five said they had anti-asthma drugs and 15 per cent had used an inhaler.

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