"Parents advocating for food allergy safety in PSD"

Parents advocating for food allergy safety in PSD

Fort Collins Coloradoan (CO)

October 26, 2008
Author: HALLIE WOODS Section: A Section
Page: A1, A2
Estimated printed pages: 4
Article Text:By HALLIE WOODSHallieWoods@ coloradoan.com

Almost a year before her daughter's first day of kindergarten, Katie Martin is already nervous about her daughter going to school. Four-year-old Lily Martin is severely allergic to peanuts and tree nuts and can suffer an anaphylactic reaction simply from a brief brush of peanut or tree nut oils on her skin. That can mean anything from a drop in blood pressure to narrowed airways, a rash, swelling, vomiting to unconsciousness or death if not treated with an epinephrine injection, or a trip to the emergency room. Though Martin wants her daughter to go to school like any child, the thoughts of lunchrooms where peanut butter sandwiches are served and delicious but dangerous snacks can come into the classroom at any time worries her. While Lily is still in preschool, Martin and Cheryl Pietrangelo, whose son, Connor, also has severe peanut and tree nut allergies, are working with Poudre School District on a food allergy task force to create better awareness, education and resources for their children and so many others who have food allergies. "We just want our kids to be safe," Pietrangelo said. Food allergies growing About 3 million children 12 years and younger, or four out of every 10 children, reported having food allergies in 2007, according to a study released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And those numbers are continuing to rise. Food allergies have increased 18 percent since 1997, when 2.3 million children reported food allergies. Medical officials have come up with a number of possible explanations for the increase, though there's no definitive answer. "Doctors are reporting more children in their clinics with food allergies than ever before," said Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder and chief executive officer of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. "All signals are saying that we are becoming more allergic as a population. The question is why are we becoming more allergic, has it peaked or is it still growing, and can we stop this allergy trend?" Munoz-Furlong said she believes the increase in allergies is due to both more diagnoses and prevalence. Just eight foods account for 90 percent of all food allergy reactions in the United States: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish, according to the Food Allergy Anaphylaxis Network. Children are most commonly allergic to peanuts, milk and eggs, said Lisa Thackwell, a physician's assistant at Colorado Allergy and Asthma Centers' Fort Collins clinic. "Often when patients are diagnosed with a tree nut of peanut allergy, we often have them avoid the other because they are often processed in the same facility and there is greater risk for cross contamination," Thackwell said. Tree nuts include walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds, cashews and Brazil nuts. Lily was a toddler when Martin smeared a small amount of peanut butter on her lips. Within minutes, Lily's breathing was compromised and she was rushed to the hospital. "I literally turned back around and her face was completely swollen," Martin said. About 100 to 200 deaths occur each year from the 30,000 episodes of food-induced anaphylaxis, most of which affect children and adolescents, according to the National Institutes of Health. Lily has been able to avoid accidents by avoiding peanuts, tree nuts and items that can be cross-contaminated. Small doses of epinephrine go with Lily everywhere, Martin said. The family also eats only at certain nut-free restaurants that can ensure Lily's safety, and her preschool does not allow any nuts in the classroom near Lily. Allergies in schools Martin and Pietrangelo said they first felt concerned to hear that most schools provide a daily peanut-butter-and-jelly-

sandwich lunch in the cafeteria. "We just want more acknowledgment that this life-threatening allergy exists," Martin said. PSD does, however, provide health-care action plans for students with allergies, working individually with parents, students, teachers and staff to provide a safe environment for the student. Each school will also provide peanut-, tree-nut- or other allergen-free tables, requiring all students sitting there to have a peanut- or tree-nut-free lunch. The tables are also cleaned with special soaps and sponges that do not touch the other tables, which reduces the chance of cross contamination, said Nancy Weber, health services coordinator for PSD. With parental permission, staff can also provide information to other students in a classroom about classroom snacks and washing hands. Cafeteria staff cannot guarantee that food being served in the lunchroom has not been contaminated in the production facility, but parents are welcome to read labels and boxes of cafeteria food supplies, said Marei Wallace, child nutrition supervisor. Health-care staff, teachers and employees who are in regular contact with a student with allergies can be trained to use emergency medication, such as an epinephrine pen, in case of a reaction. In addition to these measures, the task force also hopes to provide online information and resources on the district's Web site for new families or families whose child was recently diagnosed, Weber said. "There are schools that handle it very differently," Munoz-Furlong said. "There is not one way to manage food allergies. It really depends on what works for the students. What is consistent is education and awareness, not just with the staff, but with everyone in the school." Munoz-Furlong said it is important that other students in the classroom are aware of a classmate's allergy to prevent contamination or food sharing. "Children care about each other, and if a child has a food allergy reaction in school, it traumatizes all the children," she said. "If they see their friend collapse or carried away in an ambulance, it's traumatizing. In a school, a classroom becomes a community. What happens to one affects all of them." At the federal level The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2008, recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, will make available a voluntary nationwide policy for managing the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools. On the Internet The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network: www.foodallergy.org Copyright (c) The Coloradoan. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc. Record Number: ftc30994001