Food Allergies Mean Back-to-School Jitters for Millions
of Students and their Parents
Life-Altering
Epidemic Now Afflicts One in 25 Americans
FAIRFAX,
Va. (August 13, 2007); The incidence of food allergy
has skyrocketed, doubling in the last 10 years, and scientists
aren't sure why. More than 12 million Americans ( one in 25 )
are caught up in this life-altering epidemic.
Among
them are 2.2 million school-age children. For them, as well as
for their parents, back-to-school is an especially anxious time.
That's
because food allergy is not the harmless, whimsical condition
some people still seem to think it is.
"Food
allergy is serious, and it's life-threatening," says Anne
Muñoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of the Food Allergy &
Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). "Just one bite of the wrong food
can bring on anaphylaxis a severe allergic reaction that can cause
death. Even trace amounts can be enough to cause problems, sometimes
just through skin contact, or from inhalation when food is being
cooked."
Food
allergy is the leading cause of anaphylaxis outside the hospital
setting in the U.S. and results in 150-200 deaths and more than
30,000 emergency room visits each year. There is no known cure;
strict avoidance is the only way to prevent a reaction.
But avoidance can be hard in schools, where food allergens are
everywhere: in the cafeteria, on the playground, in the classroom.
Not just in meals and snacks, but in art projects, craft activities,
even math lessons.
Yet
there is no uniform food-allergy policy to guide our nation's
schools some of which are well-prepared to deal with food allergy,
while others aren't. "The bottom line is that parents can?t
be sure that a school is equipped to protect their child,"
says Muñoz-Furlong.
That
may change as a result of legislation recently introduced in Congress.
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (HR.2063/S.1232)
would, if passed, call on the federal government to establish
voluntary national guidelines for managing students with food
allergies (see www.foodallergy.org/advocacy/KidsCongress.html).
"What's needed is a food-allergy blueprint for schools to
follow, and this would provide it," said Muñoz-Furlong.
"Children
with food allergy, and their parents, have to always be on guard,
to prevent a reaction. It's not easy, but they can do it with
the cooperation, and the understanding, of everyone around them."
ABOUT
FAAN
Founded in 1991, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN)
is the world leader in information about food allergy, a potentially
fatal condition that afflicts approximately 12 million Americans,
or one out of every 25, and is rapidly increasing in prevalence.
A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., FAAN has 30,000
members in the U.S., Canada, and 62 other countries. It is dedicated
to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences,
to educating people about the condition, to advocating on behalf
of all those affected by it, and to advancing research into its
causes, prevalence, cure, and prevention. FAAN provides information
and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their
families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies,
the food industry, and government officials. The FAAN Medical
Advisory Board, which reviews all of the organization?s educational
materials, is comprised of 14 of the leaders in food allergy science
and medicine in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to its printed
materials, FAAN also sponsors such awareness programs as Food
Allergy Awareness Week, the Mariel C. Furlong Awards for Making
a Difference, food allergy conferences, and fundraising walks.
For
more information, visit FAAN on the Web at www.foodallergy.org.
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