An asthma manual for schools launched by the Environment Ministry will soon be shown to students in the form of 2D animation videos to assist in building better management strategies

Developed by the Lung Care Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, these animation videos will be available in Hindi with English subtitles.

In view of the rising air pollution, Union Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had last month launched the asthma manual for schools which gives details of how the school administration must act in case of an emergency.

Translated in 11 different languages, the manual will be adopted by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change for implementation in over 1 lakh schools through eco clubs across India.

The manual is a compilation of simple, easy to understand information to know about childhood asthma and the best practices that schools can implement to deal with emergencies associated with breathing problems.

"Basically not all children or staff will read the manual. These fun-to-watch 2D animation videos will be easy for the children and staff to understand on how to deal with an asthma emergency. Also, visuals have more impact than the print form," CEO of the Lung Care Foundation, Abhishek Kumar said.

Kumar said that there is a lack of awareness in schools about how to deal with an asthma emergency. In case of an asthma attack, the first 10-15 minutes are vital.

"Many children in schools have lost lives due to asthma attacks because of lack of emergency measures. These videos will create awareness about asthma and the important steps that school students and the staff can implement in case a student suffers an asthma attack.

"Basic awareness will help create a safe environment  for students suffering from asthma in schools," Kumar said.

Kumar said current studies in some schools of Jaipur found that 25 per cent children were asthmatic while in Bengaluru 10-15 per cent children were found to be suffering from the problem.