The country's first community-based children's asthma management program got under way yesterday in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai.
Under the program — launched to mark World Asthma Day — medical staff at 15 neighborhood health centers will be trained in how to provide long-term monitoring and support to children diagnosed with the condition.
The aim is to relieve some of the pressure on hospitals and make key services more accessible to young people with the condition, said an official from the Shanghai Children's Medical Center, which is leading the scheme.
A patient database will also be set up to allow information to be shared easily between medical teams, the person said.
The program will seek to increase public awareness of asthma, while teachers will be given guidance on how to provide first aid to pupils with the condition, he said.
According to unnamed experts, Shanghai has a higher incidence rate of childhood asthma than anywhere else in China. From 1.8 percent in 1990, the rate is now 7.6 percent.
"The incidence of asthma in children in developed countries is much higher than in developing countries," said Dr Hong Jianguo, director of pediatrics at Shanghai No. 1 People's Hospital.
"Parents try to protect their children from allergic sources by providing them with a clean environment, but this means they build up less immunity," he said.
The three-year community program is being run in association with United States-based nongovernmental organization Project Hope.
Under the scheme, the center will continue to be responsible for diagnosis and initial treatment, but all subsequent procedures will be managed by the neighborhood health centers.
