Hold a Hand for Eczema

National Eczema Week 13 – 20 September 2008

The school playground can be a harsh and lonely place for a child with eczema.

To break down the barriers and raise awareness of the condition, the National Eczema Society has relaunched its Schools Pack, an updated eczema education pack to help schools become a place of support and understanding for young eczema sufferers.

With the theme “Hold a Hand for eczema” this year’s National Eczema Week (13 – 20 September) is using the Schools Pack to raise awareness of eczema as a physical and an emotional condition while highlighting the support and expertise available through the National Eczema Society.

Affecting one in five children and one in 12 adults, a person with eczema cannot stop scratching and has to live every day with painful, cracked and often bleeding skin. Children with eczema are often made to feel ‘different’ from others because of their appearance or because they can’t take part in activities such as swimming and sports. Bullying can be a problem because a lack of understanding can cause children, parents and even teachers to wrongly believe the condition is contagious. 

The Schools Pack can be given to parents concerned about how their child will cope at school and handed to teachers to bring eczema into lesson time to help children with eczema feel accepted. Updated for 2008, the packs are tailored for early years, middle years and teens with classroom exercises and information relevant to each age group.

“We are keen to reach schools with our many messages about eczema from it not being contagious to it needing to be managed correctly throughout the day every day,” explains National Eczema Society Chief Executive Margaret Cox. “If through the School’s Pack we can help children to be comfortable in their skin at school the benefits are felt not only by the child but by the whole family.”

To order a free Schools Pack during National Eczema Week and to receive further information about eczema or to join the National Eczema Society call 0800 0891122 or visit www.eczema.org

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