§ Mr. EnnisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of children under 16 years of age suffering from asthma in(a) England and Wales and (b) Sheffield Health Authority area. [71965]
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§ Mr. HuttonThere are no comprehensive data on the number of children with asthma. On the basis of all the information available, it has been estimated that "the prevalence of asthma sufficiently severe to require regular medical supervision is from 4–6 per cent. in children". This estimate is quoted in "Asthma: An Epidemiological Overview" (Central Health Monitoring Unit, 1995), which brought together a broad range of the best statistics on asthma in England. Copies are available in the Library.
According to the report of the Health Survey for England 1997, 23 per cent. of boys and 18 per cent. of girls aged 2 to 15 years had been diagnosed at some time in the past as suffering from asthma. Copies of this report are also available in the Library.
The equivalent figures for the Sheffield Health Authority area are not available centrally. Information on the number of children suffering from asthma in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.