Video: New Children's Storybook Helps Parents Teach Their Children With Asthma About Their Condition

Schering-Plough partners with the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics to tell the delightful story of "Breathless Bethany Buttercup"




KENILWORTH, N.J., March 24, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — Asthma is the most common chronic condition among children, with approximately 6.8 million children currently with asthma in the United States.1,2 It accounts for almost 13 million missed school days each year and is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15 years of age.3,4 With statistics like these, a diagnosis of asthma can often be daunting for parents and children. Parents often struggle with the best way to talk to their children about asthma, and many children with asthma report a desire not to be treated differently from other children.5 To help parents speak with their children about asthma and support children coping with their disease, Schering-Plough Corporation has partnered with the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) to develop a fun, yet educational, storybook, Breathless Bethany Buttercup, that uses a little girl's story about her experience with asthma to provide information about asthma management.

"When my daughter, Danielle, was first diagnosed with asthma, I was in need of a way to help me talk to her about the condition and the importance of using medication to help her feel better," said Julie Driggers of Omaha, Nebraska. "It is great to see that there is now an informative resource like this storybook available for children. This storybook also conveys the seriousness of asthma and highlights the importance of working with your doctor to develop an asthma action plan."

Some children find it difficult to accept an asthma diagnosis, which makes the role of a parent all the more vital. According to a 2007 study published in the journal Pediatric Nurse, it is important for parents to talk to a physician about ways to build their child's self-confidence and prevent them from feeling stigmatized when they display difficulty coping with their asthma.6 Parents should also monitor their child's asthma and continue to work with their child's physician to determine an appropriate asthma management plan.7

"We're excited to collaborate with Schering-Plough on the development of an asthma storybook for children," said Nancy Sander, founder and president of the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics. "The number one reason why parents call our organization is to find answers to questions about medications and how to help their children to take them as prescribed. Breathless Bethany Buttercup provides the perfect forum for parents and children to talk about asthma and how to manage their condition."

Breathless Bethany Buttercup was written by Tolya Thompson and illustrated by Curt Walstead. With playful rhymes and colorful illustrations, the storybook appeals to early elementary school-aged students and parents can order a free copy through Schering-Plough and the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics. For more information or to receive your own copy, visit www.asthmastorybook.com or www.breatherville.org.

About Pediatric Asthma
Asthma is a chronic disorder characterized by inflammation of the air passages, resulting in the temporary narrowing of the airways that transport air from the nose and mouth to the lungs.8 Asthma symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath, can occur and can impact multiple aspects of patients' lives.9 Asthma is the most common chronic condition among children1, and it is the cause of 7 million outpatient asthma visits to physician offices and nearly 200,000 hospitalizations among children each year in the United States.3 It is also the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15.4

About Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA)
Founded in 1985, Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics is the leading national nonprofit family organization dedicated to eliminating suffering and death due to asthma, allergies and related conditions. AANMA's core areas of expertise are education, advocacy and outreach. Call 800.878.4403 or visit www.breatherville.org.

About Schering-Plough Corporation
Schering-Plough is an innovation-driven, science-centered global health care company. Through its own biopharmaceutical research and collaborations with partners, Schering-Plough creates therapies that help save and improve lives around the world. The company applies its research-and-development platform to human prescription, animal health and consumer healthcare products. Schering-Plough's vision is to "Earn Trust, Every Day" with the doctors, patients, customers and other stakeholders served by its colleagues around the world. The company is based in Kenilworth, N.J., and its Web site is www.schering-plough.com.

References
"Childhood Asthma." Challenges for the 21st Century: Chronic and Disabling Conditions. National Academy on an Aging Society, No. 8 June 2000. www.agingsociety.org/agingsociety/pdf/asthma.pdf
"Fast Stats A to Z: Asthma." National Center for Health Statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asthma.htm
"Asthma Prevalence, Health Care Use and Mortality: United States, 2003-05." National Center for Health Statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/ashtma03-05/asthma03-05.htm.
"Asthma & Children Fact Sheet." American Lung Association, September 2007. http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2058817&content_id={05C5FA0A-A953-4BB6-BB74-F07C2ECCABA9}¬oc=1.

"Talking to Your Child About Asthma." American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, 2000. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/allergic_conditions/pediatric_asthma/talking_to_child.stm
Butz, Arlene M., et. al. "Shared Decision Making In School Age Children with

Asthma." Pediatric Nurse, 2007; 33(2): 111-116. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2269724

"Asthma in Children: Creating an Asthma Action Plan." Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2008. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/asthma/HQ00273.

"Asthma Facts and Figures." Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 2005. http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8&sub=42

"What is Asthma?" National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, May 2006. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_WhatIs.html
Video


Related Links
www.asthmastorybook.com

www.breatherville.org

www.schering-plough.com

Media Contacts:
Julie Lux
908-298-4774
Investor Contacts:
Janet Barth
Joe Romanelli
908-298-7436

March of Dimes Honors Babies on 'El Dia de Todos los Santos'

March of Dimes Honors Babies on 'El Dia de Todos los Santos'

More than 5,000 Latino Infants Don't Live to See their First Birthday

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

On "El Dia de Todos Los Santos" the March of Dimes is honoring all babies -- those born healthy, those who need help to thrive and survive, and those who died in infancy.


Nearly 28,000 infants die before their first birthday each year -- more than 5,000 to Latina mothers and more than 2,500 in California alone.


Vicente Perez, Jr. is just one of those.


He was born 13 weeks too soon on August 25, 2005, along with his two sisters, Priscilla and Melissa. The triplets spent months in hospital neonatal intensive care units. Priscilla and Melissa finally came home, but Vicente lived only six months.


"Parents are not supposed to bury their children," said his father, Vicente Perez, Sr. "Vicente was our only son and we had to bury him. We lost part of our lives when we lost him."


Mr. Perez's story is one of thousands being gathered by the March of Dimes across the country as part of Prematurity Awareness Month in November. People can share their stories online at http://marchofdimes.com/everybaby or by getting on board a specially equipped "Every Baby Story Tour" motorcoach that will visit 16 cities across the country.


Mr. Perez shared his story at a breakfast for the news media at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where he was joined by Dayanara Torres, star of CW-TV's Watch Over Me, and Carolina Reyes, MD, the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Best Babies Network, a coordinating body for the Healthy Births Initiative.


"Latinos are the largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the United States. More than 100,000 Latino infants are born premature each year and the rate of preterm birth among Latinos has increased nearly 10 percent over the past decade -- from 10.9 percent in 1994 to 12 percent in 2004," said Dr. Reyes. "Prematurity is the leading cause of newborn death."


Nationwide, more than a half million babies are born too soon each year and babies who do survive face lifelong health risks and developmental challenges. Premature births (birth before 37 weeks gestation) in the United States have increased more than 30 percent since 1981, and in 2004 more than 520,000 infants were born too soon.


In California, nearly 11 percent of babies -- more than 50,000 -- were born premature in 2004, an increase of about 7 percent over the previous decade.


"Having a premature baby is very painful; imagine having three clinging to life?" asked Mr. Perez. "Our babies were being cared for at different hospitals. One day, I got emergency calls from both hospitals saying my babies were very sick. I didn't know where to go. They were all my children and they needed me there."


The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at http://marchofdimes.com/ or its Spanish language Web site at http://nacersano.org/.


Source: March of Dimes

CONTACT: Todd P. Dezen, +1-914-997-4608, tdezen@marchofdimes.com, or
Elizabeth Lynch, +1-914-997-4286, elynch@marchofdimes.com, or Robert Storace,
+1-914-997-4622, rstorace@marchofdimes.com, or Patricia A. Gonzalez-Portillo,
Los Angeles Division, +1-213-637-5070, all of the March of Dimes


Web Site: http://nacersano.org/
http://www.marchofdimes.com/