It is estimated that up to 2% of Australians including 1 in 20 children suffer from food allergies
A food allergy is an immune system response to a food protein that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. When the food is eaten by an individual, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals, triggering an allergic reaction. Most allergic reactions are mild to moderate and do not cause major problems. The parts of the body involved can also vary from person to person, ie it may affect their breathing, gastrointestinal tract, skin and/or heart. A small number of people may experience a severe reaction called anaphylaxis. This is the most concerning type of allergic reaction as it can be fatal. The symptoms of anaphylaxis are: swelling of lips, face and eyes, swelling of the tongue, difficulty breathing and collapse. Anaphylaxis can occur within minutes or up to 2 hours from exposure. It must be treated as a medical emergency, requiring immediate treatment (with adrenaline) and urgent medical attention.
90% of food allergies are caused by: peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans etc), fish, crustaceans (prawns, lobster, crab etc), eggs, milk, sesame, soy and wheat. Any food, however can cause an allergy/anaphylaxis. It is important to understand that in some people even very small amounts of food can cause a life threatening reaction
Currently there is no cure for food allergy. Avoidance of the food trigger is the only way to prevent a reaction. Individuals at risk and their carers must read food labels of every food, every time because recipes change without warning. If a product is not packaged, they must enquire about ingredients and the risk of the food coming in contact with the food they are allergic to. If they can’t access information about the ingredients it is best if they do not eat it.
Kindergarten/Pre-school/School can be a potential mine field for a child with food allergies. As we all know kids love to share and steal food and this can be fatal for a child with anaphylaxis. For this reason the majority of centres/schools now have a nut free policy (this is the most common cause of anaphylaxis). When parents send food for their children to share (eg cakes), it is also helpful to write a quick label mentioning if the food contains egg or milk (the next biggest offenders). It is advisable that parents of a child with an allergy provide alternative treats (eg cup cakes) that can be kept at the centre/school. These treats can be given to the child when non-allergic children bring in birthday cakes/biscuits from home.
It is essential that all children who are at risk of anaphylaxis, have an anaphylaxis action plan signed by their doctor and given to centre/school staff. This gives staff a quick reference guide of what to do should the child come in contact with the offending food. The treatment for an anaphylactic reaction is adrenaline (the device containing adrenaline is called an Epipen). Parents and staff need to agree on where the child’s epipen is kept so that it can be found quickly if there is a reaction. The Epipen should be stored out of direct sunlight and be easily accessible. It must NOT be in a locked cupboard or locked room. All staff need to undertake anaphylaxis training and will need to know how and when to administer the Epipen in the event of an emergency (as per action plan). Parents need to keep staff informed about any changes or updated allergy tests that may occur during the year.
Implementation of these few simple strategies enables all children to participate in a fun environment with minimal risks to their health and safety.