Anaphylaxis Campaign

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Anaphylaxis UK is a British charity that solely supports people at risk from severe allergic reactions. For over 25 years, the charity has provided information and support to patients and their families. [1]

Contents

Anaphylaxis UK was created to ensure a safe environment for all people with allergies by working with and educating the food industry, schools, pre-schools, colleges, health professionals and other key audiences. It focuses on medical facts, food labelling, risk reduction and allergen management.

The charity also trains patients, carers and healthcare professionals through its AllergyWise online training. It actively campaigns to raise awareness of anaphylaxis with the general public and with the relevant authorities for better allergy care and treatments.

Origins and key people

The Campaign was established in 1994 following the deaths of four people from allergic reactions to nuts. Its founder and honorary president, David Reading, was made OBE in the 2005 New Year's Honours List for services to people with allergies. [2]

The Campaign's former honorary president is William Frankland, the pioneer immunologist, who died in April 2020. [3]

Olympic swimmer Mark Foster has been the Campaign's patron since 2009. [4] His friend and fellow-athlete, Ross Baillie died following an anaphylactic reaction in 1999.

Chef Giorgio Locatelli and global parenting expert Jo Frost are also patrons of the Anaphylaxis Campaign.

In 2020, the Anaphylaxis Campaign appointed Dan Kelly, founder of the 'May Contain' blog (Instagram @_maycontain) and podcast, as youth ambassador. In this role, Dan works with the charity to support and empower young people living with severe allergies.

Professor John Warner, Professor of Paediatrics, Imperial College, London and Hon.Professor University of Cape Town, South Africa, became the Anaphylaxis Campaign's Clinical and Scientific Advisory Panel chair in 2020.

Making Schools Safer

The Campaign's Making Schools Safer campaign provides schools with the knowledge and expertise to support severely allergic children. This includes free school resources, presentations and free online e-learning AllergyWise courses.

For two years the Anaphylaxis Campaign – together with Allergy UK, the British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology (BSACI), the British Paediatric Allergy Immunity and Infection Group (BPAIIG), and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) – campaigned for a change in the law to allow schools to hold generic adrenaline auto-injectors, and ensure they have sufficient trained staff to operate the device in case of an emergency.

From 1 October 2017, the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 has allowed schools in the UK to buy adrenaline auto-injector devices (known as AAIs) without a prescription to use in an emergency on children who are at risk of a severe allergic reaction (known as anaphylaxis) but whose own device is not available or not working. This could be because their AAI(s) are broken, or out of date, for example.

Universities

The Anaphylaxis Campaign has identified that 16- to 24-year-olds are a high-risk group when it comes to managing their allergies, and this includes university students. An allergy toolkit was devised, including a booklet with practical tips on preparation and management of allergies in a university setting. Working closely with 'The university and Catering Organisation' & 'Association of Student Residential Accommodation', The campaign raised awareness of issues around allergy management through e -newsletters and speaking at regional meetings.[ citation needed ]

Through a partnership with the FSA and Allergy UK, the Anaphylaxis Campaign collaborated on a campaign 'Easy to Ask', designed to empower young people to ask food businesses about allergens when eating out. This campaign had extensive reach and media interest.[ citation needed ]

A high-impact video called "Take the Kit" was designed and used in a public awareness campaign, to highlight the risks of not carrying adrenaline at all times. This was aimed at 15- to 25-year-olds and reached 900,000 people worldwide.

National lobbying to July 2022

The Anaphylaxis Campaign is a founder member of the National Allergy Strategy Group, [5] a coalition of charities, professional organisations and industry, that seeks to improve health services for people with allergies in the UK.

The charity has called for clearer guidelines and greater consistency on food labelling. [6] It has also lobbied to remove what it considers to be unnecessary 'may contain' labelling, arguing that food manufacturers should only use these labels when there is a genuine risk to people with allergies. [7]

The Anaphylaxis Campaign has tried to raise awareness of the problems caused by inconsistency in how severe allergy is diagnosed. [8] To help improve awareness among frontline medical practitioners, it launched an online training programme, called AllergyWise, [9] in 2011, accredited by the Royal College of Nursing. [10]

In March 2011, the charity held a national conference with the Food Standards Agency, the UK government department, on 'Communicating the science of food allergy'. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are various conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermatitis, allergic asthma, and anaphylaxis. Symptoms may include red eyes, an itchy rash, sneezing, coughing, a runny nose, shortness of breath, or swelling. Note that food intolerances and food poisoning are separate conditions.

An allergen is a type of antigen that produces an abnormally vigorous immune response in which the immune system fights off a perceived threat that would otherwise be harmless to the body. Such reactions are called allergies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food allergy</span> Hypersensitivity reaction to a food

A food allergy is an abnormal immune response to food. The symptoms of the allergic reaction may range from mild to severe. They may include itchiness, swelling of the tongue, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, trouble breathing, or low blood pressure. This typically occurs within minutes to several hours of exposure. When the symptoms are severe, it is known as anaphylaxis. A food intolerance and food poisoning are separate conditions, not due to an immune response.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Type I hypersensitivity</span> Type of allergic reaction

Type I hypersensitivity, in the Gell and Coombs classification of allergic reactions, is an allergic reaction provoked by re-exposure to a specific type of antigen referred to as an allergen. Type I is distinct from type II, type III and type IV hypersensitivities. The relevance of the Gell and Coombs classification of allergic reactions has been questioned in the modern-day understanding of allergy, and it has limited utility in clinical practice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allergen immunotherapy</span> Medical treatment for environmental allergies

Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for environmental allergies, such as insect bites, and asthma. Immunotherapy involves exposing people to larger and larger amounts of allergens in an attempt to change the immune system's response.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peanut allergy</span> Type of food allergy caused by peanuts

Peanut allergy is a type of food allergy to peanuts. It is different from tree nut allergies, because peanuts are legumes and not true nuts. Physical symptoms of allergic reaction can include itchiness, hives, swelling, eczema, sneezing, asthma attack, abdominal pain, drop in blood pressure, diarrhea, and cardiac arrest. Anaphylaxis may occur. Those with a history of asthma are more likely to be severely affected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soy allergy</span> Type of food allergy caused by soy

Soy allergy is a type of food allergy. It is a hypersensitivity to ingesting compounds in soy, causing an overreaction of the immune system, typically with physical symptoms, such as gastrointestinal discomfort, respiratory distress, or a skin reaction. Soy is among the eight most common foods inducing allergic reactions in children and adults. It has a prevalence of about 0.3% in the general population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milk allergy</span> Type of food allergy caused by milk

Milk allergy is an adverse immune reaction to one or more proteins in cow's milk. Symptoms may take hours to days to manifest, with symptoms including atopic dermatitis, inflammation of the esophagus, enteropathy involving the small intestine and proctocolitis involving the rectum and colon. However, rapid anaphylaxis is possible, a potentially life-threatening condition that requires treatment with epinephrine, among other measures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egg allergy</span> Type of food allergy caused by eggs

Egg allergy is an immune hypersensitivity to proteins found in chicken eggs, and possibly goose, duck, or turkey eggs. Symptoms can be either rapid or gradual in onset. The latter can take hours to days to appear. The former may include anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition which requires treatment with epinephrine. Other presentations may include atopic dermatitis or inflammation of the esophagus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree nut allergy</span> Medical condition

A tree nut allergy is a hypersensitivity to dietary substances from tree nuts and edible tree seeds causing an overreaction of the immune system which may lead to severe physical symptoms. Tree nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, filberts/hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, shea nuts and walnuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheat allergy</span> Medical condition

Wheat allergy is an allergy to wheat which typically presents itself as a food allergy, but can also be a contact allergy resulting from occupational exposure. Like all allergies, wheat allergy involves immunoglobulin E and mast cell response. Typically the allergy is limited to the seed storage proteins of wheat. Some reactions are restricted to wheat proteins, while others can react across many varieties of seeds and other plant tissues. Wheat allergy is rare. Prevalence in adults was found to be 0.21% in a 2012 study in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skin allergy test</span> Allergy diagnosis

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allergic response</span>

An allergic response is a hypersensitive immune reaction to a substance that normally is harmless or would not cause an immune response in everyone. An allergic response may cause harmful symptoms such as itching or inflammation or tissue injury.

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Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) is a non-profit, private organization dedicated to food allergy awareness, research, education, and advocacy. FARE's goal is to enhance the lives of people with food allergies by providing support and resources to help them live safe yet productive lives. FARE also includes information for people without food allergies, who are looking to not only be respectful of others but also become more educated and gain more awareness regarding healthcare and treatments. The organization provides information, programs, and resources about food allergies and anaphylaxis, a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Working on behalf of more than 32 million Americans who have potentially life-threatening food allergies, FARE's mission is to improve the quality of life and health of those with food allergies and to provide hope for the development of new treatments and diagnostics.

Rice allergy is a type of food allergy. People allergic to rice react to various rice proteins after they eat rice or breathe the steam from cooking rice. Although some reactions might lead to severe health problems, doctors can diagnose rice allergy with many methods and help allergic people to avoid reactions.

Peanut Allergen Powder, sold under the brand name Palforzia, is an oral medication for the treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in children typically aged between four and 17 years of age who have confirmed cases of peanut allergy. It is taken by mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fish allergy</span> Type of food allergy caused by fish

Fish allergy is an immune hypersensitivity to proteins found in fish. Symptoms can be either rapid or gradual in onset. The latter can take hours to days to appear. The former may include anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition which requires treatment with epinephrine. Other presentations may include atopic dermatitis or inflammation of the esophagus. Fish is one of the eight common food allergens which are responsible for 90% of allergic reactions to foods: cow's milk, eggs, wheat, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and soy beans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shellfish allergy</span> Type of food allergy caused by shellfish

Shellfish allergy is among the most common food allergies. "Shellfish" is a colloquial and fisheries term for aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs such as clams, mussels, oysters and scallops, crustaceans such as shrimp, lobsters and crabs, and cephalopods such as squid and octopus. Shellfish allergy is an immune hypersensitivity to proteins found in shellfish. Symptoms can be either rapid or gradual in onset. The latter can take hours to days to appear. The former may include anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition which requires treatment with epinephrine. Other presentations may include atopic dermatitis or inflammation of the esophagus. Shellfish is one of the eight common food allergens, responsible for 90% of allergic reactions to foods: cow's milk, eggs, wheat, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and soy beans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sesame allergy</span> Food allergy caused by sesame seeds

A food allergy to sesame seeds has prevalence estimates in the range of 0.1–0.2% of the general population, and are higher in the Middle East and other countries where sesame seeds are used in traditional foods. Reporting of sesame seed allergy has increased in the 21st century, either due to a true increase from exposure to more sesame foods or due to an increase in awareness. Increasing sesame allergy rates have induced more countries to regulate food labels to identify sesame ingredients in products and the potential for allergy. In the United States, sesame became the ninth food allergen with mandatory labeling, effective 1 January 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "Anaphylaxis UK | Anaphylaxis Campaign | UK Allergen Charity". Anaphylaxis Campaign.
  2. ↑ "Work of unsung heroes is honoured". December 31, 2004 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  3. ↑ "A Life in Allergy".
  4. ↑ "Jaguar Academy of Sport profile of Mark Foster". Archived from the original on May 16, 2013.
  5. ↑ "National Allergy Strategy Group". Archived from the original on January 28, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Experts warn of 'crying wolf' over nut allergies". the Guardian. April 23, 2010.
  7. ↑ "'May contain' allergen labels will be more consistent". foodmanufacture.co.uk.
  8. ↑ "Big rise in patients with deadly allergies". the Guardian. April 16, 2006.
  9. ↑ "AllergyWise online training, Anaphylaxis Campaign". Archived from the original on 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  10. ↑ "AllergyWise online anaphylaxis training and resources for health care professionals - RCN". Archived from the original on 2012-12-24.
  11. ↑ Food Standards Agency e-newsletter, March 2011
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