We're half way through February, so it seems a little redundant to say 'Happy New Year'.
A couple of weeks ago, this article appeared in the Australian newspaper, The Sunday Telegraph "Schools banned food list has gone nuts".
http://bit.ly/cWUiqs
Out of this story, the Herald on Sunday ran a similar article "Kids lunch box time bombs".
http://bit.ly/aoB7Vr
It's important to differentiate between schools and early childhood education centres, as the general consensus is that removing highly spreadable and allergenic foods, such as peanut butter, egg sandwiches or yoghurt (if there is a child with peanut, egg or milk allergy) is appropriate for younger children.
If you have a school-aged child at risk of anaphylaxis (and not just to food), how has your school managed this?
No food ban sought or requested for my son,(6 years) as he has anaphylaxis to dairy which is in most lunches! He has other food allergies (egg, nuts and kiwifruit) however he has avoided ingesting nuts, having mild/moderate symptoms for initial exposure to the others. Anaphylaxis Action plan in class, sick bay, staff room.
ReplyDeleteRelief teacher notified via roll.
Public Health Nurse educating staff about anaphylaxis and epi pen use (last year not sure about this year..)
High Health Needs Fund applied for and obtained (overseen during major meal time).
Met with staff and ministry of education rep. regarding "High Health Needs Funding" and to ensure adequate systems in place for fast administration of epi pen if anaphylaxis occurs.. e.g. duty staff have photo with some info about him.
Make sure your ready for any Anaphylaxis emergency!
ReplyDeleteHealthcorp Australia have an Anaphylaxis Epipen training course available Australia wide and New Zealand. For group bookings or public courses go to http://www.healthcorp.com.au/epi-pen-anaphylaxis-training.html