PHOENIX — Every three minutes, a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency room.
Each year in the U.S., 200,000 people require emergency medical care for allergic reactions to food.
Childhood hospitalizations for food allergy tripled between the late 1990s and the mid-2000s.
“Food allergies are on the rise, prevalence is increasing, we have about 8 percent of kids today affected, which is one in 13 or two in every classroom," said Gina Clowes, National Director of Training and Outreach at Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).
The most common food allergies are milk, wheat, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish and soy, but kids can be allergic to any food.
“Luckily most schools today ask about food allergies, so that’s a great thing," Clowes said. "So make sure you report that carefully."
Is that enough?
“It needs to be elevated much more than just talking with teachers," said Clowes.
A few ideas include sending your kids to school with cool T-shirts that list their food allergies or they kids can wear a food allergy indicator bracelet.
Most importantly, the school needs to have a plan.
“We recommend that parents, teachers and administrators create what’s called an accommodation plan. You want a written plan that outlines everything that needs to be done to make sure that child is safe and included," said Clowes.
You also need to educate your children about their allergies.
“They need to be aware that they have food allergies and they need to be aware if they aren’t feeling well, who is the person they need to tell," said Clowes.
No matter what, kids with allergies need adult supervision at all times to make sure they never eat something they can’t have. You also can’t rely on the school to have epinephrine, or EpiPens.
“Some schools don’t have it, so by all means, parents need to check with their schools and can’t depend on the school to have a stock," said Clowes.
There’s actually a shortage of epinephrine right now. If you need help locating available supplies, visit FoodAllergy.org for more information.