Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences are working to prevent wheezing and asthma in young children by looking at the effects of azithromycin therapy.

The national study will focus on people between the ages of two to five who are diagnosed with severe wheezing episodes. More than 2.2 million children experience wheezing episodes severe enough to require emergency hospital visits every year in the United States.

Around 15 percent of these children require hospitalization. The treatment aims to reduce inflammation and eliminate the bacteria that causes wheezing. If the Azithromycin treatment works, it will modify how many hospitals treat asthma. The National Institutes of Health have obtained a $6.7 million dollar grant to observe three of the most common bacterias present in children with asthma. The team will also analyze participants by racial and ethnic subgroups to identify areas for further investigation. The goal is to enroll 1,500 children between the ages of 18 months and five years.