Health professionals have formed a team to counter epidemic levels of asthma which now affect about one in six of the population.

The condition is on the rise again after spending a decade in decline but experts are stumped about why.

The disease, which can kill, affects one in four pre-schoolers and cannot be cured, although the symptoms can be dramatically reduced with careful handling.

Registered nurse Liz Boden, founder of asthma charity Open Airways, said: "Asthma is reaching epidemic levels in Bermuda.

"We have seen a decline in hospital admissions for ten years now the numbers are rising again. Why? We are not sure.

"This year we have seen an unusually large number of viruses, which have caused coughing, and wheezing even in people who have never had asthma.

"Others who have had their asthma symptoms well controlled for years have been struggling. "Many, many people have been visiting the Emergency Room with acute asthma episodes."

Mrs Boden said March, April and May are the worst months in Bermuda for asthma due to the changeable weather and the flowers pollens, grasses and trees bursting into bloom.

The Easter lily is a particular hazard.

Following a very wet winter, the mould levels are very high, homes have been closed up and closets, soft furnishings and carpets are laden with dust-mites ? all potential triggers for asthma. said Mrs. Boden.

However health professionals have co-ordinated a fight back.

This week Margaret Lester, who co-ordinates asthma response for the whole of North America, has been leading sessions at the Bermuda College.

She said: "The key thing is you need a health care team. It doesn't work if only one person is managing it. A doctor doesn't have time to do the teaching."

Ms Lester, of The National Respiratory Training Centre, said pharmacists could play a part by spotting which prescriptions were getting filled on a regular basis.

The sessions, sponsored by Open Airways, instructed 55 physicians, nurses, physiotherapists and pharmacists.

Mrs. Boden added: "No one should suffer with asthma as there are excellent medications now, so why are so many people struggling to breathe each and every day?"

She said many people have never been shown how to use their inhalers.

"If you are using inhalers make sure you are using a spacer device, this will ensure that the medications gets into your small airways and not simply stay in your mouth.

"We recommend The Able spacer, available in most pharmacies."

One key mistake patients make is to only use their Blue (Ventolin or Airomir) inhaler which relaxes airways and ignore their brown or orange prevention inhaler which should be used even when a sufferer feels well as it reduces airway inflammation.