Child asthma information booklet published in Polish

AN information booklet on the management of children’s asthma has been published in Polish to help Ireland’s single biggest immigrant community learn more about the disease and the support available.

Asthma nurse specialist with the Irish Asthma Society, Frances Guiney, said Polish people were contacting the organisation to see what help was available even before they decided to come to work in Ireland.

Poles constitute the largest group of the new workers who have come to Ireland since May 2004 — there are around 120,000 living in the country at present.

Ms Guiney said those who contacted the society wanted to know where to go in Ireland to get their children treated for the condition.

The information booklet, which is available free of charge, is entitled Asthma in Babies and Small Children.

The booklet describes the disease, what causes it and what makes it worse. It also explains available treatments and how to take them.

Ms Guiney said there was no point in having the booklet only available in English, if people who needed the information could not read it.

The booklet was first launched last year. It was updated a few months ago, before being translated into Polish.

“Ireland has the fourth highest asthma rate in the world so there must be some reason why we have one of the highest disease incidence,” she said.