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Back to School: Asthma Returns in ChildrenAsthma is an inflammatory disease of the bronchial tubes that most often manifests as recurring episodes of breathing difficulties accompanied by wheezing. These episodes can be triggered by allergens (e.g., dust mites), respiratory infections, or respiratory irritants (e.g., air pollution).Epidemiological surveillance of asthma conducted by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance shows that in France, more than one in ten children under the age of 15 is affected by this disease. Each year, asthma is responsible for more than 35,000 hospitalizations of children. The surveillance system also includes monitoring of emergency care visits for asthma, based on the activities of emergency facilities in the OSCOUR® network and SOS Médecins associations. Every year, starting in early September, data from these networks show a rapid increase in emergency care visits for childhood asthma (Figure).During the week of September 7–13, 2015 (Week 37), the number of SOS Médecins visits for asthma in children tripled compared to the previous week, and the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations quadrupled. As is the case every year, this increase peaks approximately two weeks after the start of the school year; however, in 2015, the numbers were higher than in the previous five years at the national level.The increase in emergency care visits for asthma observed in September is linked to the resurgence of respiratory viral infections as children return to group settings after the summer school break. Other factors, such as exposure to allergens or the discontinuation of long-term asthma treatment during the holidays, may also play a role. An increase in emergency care visits is also observed each year after the All Saints’ Day school break, during the bronchiolitis epidemic that begins in late fall.