Grilled-cheese sandwich suspected in young boy’s death

[ClaraC]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

Such kids already are in the general school population. There is currently an average of 2 kids with food allergies in every public school classroom.

I'm going to challenge that - the degree to which these kids have food allergies.

At our school, there's ONE child in the school with a life threatening allergy.

Others may have something that might make their cheeks flush, or their inner ears itch, etc.

There is only one child in our entire school, and it's a peanut allergy.

A school can certainly function if little Jason over there gets itchy ears or gets a little antsy if he eats ____.

There's no way an elementary school could function if there were two in each classroom who would die if they ingested common food ingredients.

So CarnivalGal - are you suggesting that there are two children in each classroom who have an epipen on standby for them in the nurse's office?

[Frostnip]

Originally Posted by ClaraC

I'm going to challenge that - the degree to which these kids have food allergies.

At our school, there's ONE child in the school with a life threatening allergy.

Others may have something that might make their cheeks flush, or their inner ears itch, etc.

There is only one child in our entire school, and it's a peanut allergy.

A school can certainly function if little Jason over there gets itchy ears or gets a little antsy if he eats ____.

There's no way an elementary school could function if there were two in each classroom who would die if they ingested common food ingredients.

So CarnivalGal - are you suggesting that there are two children in each classroom who have an epipen on standby for them in the nurse's office?

I don't think you understand food allergies. I'll use myself as an example because I know myself well, but I think I'm a fairly typical case. I have a potentially fatal allergy to shellfish, but at this point in my life, most exposures are not deadly. For example, if I eat something that was cooked on the same grill as shellfish, I might have a mild reaction that can be treated with a big dose of OTC antihistamines rather than an epipen jab. BUT, the next minor exposure will produce a more extreme reaction, and so on, and so on, as the effect is cumulative over time. So, if I'm not careful, eventually even a minor exposure could be fatal. Similarly, if I've gone quite some time without being exposed even a tiny bit, the reactions will be less severe, making me safer.

But if I were to just nom down on crab cakes, I'd probably be a goner.

So in many cases it IS crucial that those kids who "just" get itches or flushes are not exposed to the allergen. "Not an emergency today" doesn't necessarily mean it's okay to be cavalier about it. Continuous management is key to keeping a potentially fatal food allergy from becoming a fatal food allergy.

[MarisaAnna]

Originally Posted by luckyram

I agree with you about treating any & all allergic reactions as dangerous and possibly deadly.....better to err on the side of caution, of course and I believe he would have lived if they did that.

You're getting a bit dramatic though comparing a kid with a food allergy potentially getting treated like a mental asylum patient. If such kids are going to be in the general school population what's your opinion on how to handle it then?? I remember a story about a town where a child had a severe peanut allergy (supposedly even a whiff of it would cause a life threatening situation)....the parent's wanted everyone...the WHOLE TOWN to agree & certify that they would not send their kids to school with any food, sandwich, snack that might in any way contain peanuts or peanut byproducts. Yeah.....like that might ever work. Parents like these want a whole system/community to yield to their situation and people to totally aquiesce to their needs, unable to be rational and realize that they are the ones who, unfortunately, have the problem and that it's their burden to bear.

We have a high rate of food allergies in Australia these days. It is the custom here that most children bring their lunch to school and it is often just eaten picnic style in the playground. It is now almost universal that parents know not to pack anything with nuts. Also children are taught not to share food if there are kids with allergies.
Before I retired we had to do courses in dealing with allergies. There are occasional problems but people here these days seem to accept keeping the peanut butter for home. Qantas, the Australian airline, does not serve any peanuts.

[Pruzhany]

Just feed everyone one Soylent Green and there will be no more problems.

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

People forget that allergic reactions get weaker with less exposure. After 3 years away from peanuts, you might not test allergic to them any more at all.

What is the scientific evidence for that statement?

[KJV 1ST EDITION]

It"a their business to know - they're running a business - that requires them to know - i hope - that they loose their license...it's insubordinate - on their part...again - it's their business to know - (not to feed that baby - may he rest in peace - or any other child - dairy) of the food allergies - of each and every child - in their care...

[ClaraC]

Originally Posted by Frostnip

I don't think you understand food allergies. I'll use myself as an example because I know myself well, but I think I'm a fairly typical case. I have a potentially fatal allergy to shellfish, but at this point in my life, most exposures are not deadly. For example, if I eat something that was cooked on the same grill as shellfish, I might have a mild reaction that can be treated with a big dose of OTC antihistamines rather than an epipen jab. BUT, the next minor exposure will produce a more extreme reaction, and so on, and so on, as the effect is cumulative over time. So, if I'm not careful, eventually even a minor exposure could be fatal. Similarly, if I've gone quite some time without being exposed even a tiny bit, the reactions will be less severe, making me safer.

But if I were to just nom down on crab cakes, I'd probably be a goner.

So in many cases it IS crucial that those kids who "just" get itches or flushes are not exposed to the allergen. "Not an emergency today" doesn't necessarily mean it's okay to be cavalier about it. Continuous management is key to keeping a potentially fatal food allergy from becoming a fatal food allergy.

Interesting post, thank you. I have a mild allergy to mangoes - they make my mouth itch for about 20 minutes - but they are easy to avoid. Virtually anything with mangoes in it says it clearly - mango chutney, mango margaritas, and of course, mangos in fruit salad are easy to spot and smell.

Kind of the same for shellfish. You can usually predict what is likely to have shellfish in it, and a small child in a low-end preschool isn't likely to encounter that. I do have a friend who is allergic and so she avoids sushi or gumbo if she didn't prepare it herself. So, yes, manageable. But apparently the severity of those allergies can creep up on you and worsen into a serious health issue and not just an annoying itchy mouth.

I think the bigger picture here in this thread, is whether a 3 year old with multiple allergies (described as allergic to dairy, nuts, berries among other things, and also asthma) would be expected to be safe in a daycare setting without a full time aid specifically assigned to that one child, which EarlyStart isn't prepared to offer. So then the question becomes, was his death - or at least a serious emergency episode - a predictable outcome that the parents should have foreseen? Should the EarlyStart program have refused to admit him for daycare? I think the answer to both of these questions is yes.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by ClaraC

I'm going to challenge that - the degree to which these kids have food allergies.

At our school, there's ONE child in the school with a life threatening allergy.

Others may have something that might make their cheeks flush, or their inner ears itch, etc.

There is only one child in our entire school, and it's a peanut allergy.

A school can certainly function if little Jason over there gets itchy ears or gets a little antsy if he eats ____.

There's no way an elementary school could function if there were two in each classroom who would die if they ingested common food ingredients.

So CarnivalGal - are you suggesting that there are two children in each classroom who have an epipen on standby for them in the nurse's office?

It's an average, according to the CDC. I don't think they are making these numbers up. And, yes, I am suggesting that there are far more kids who have Epi Pens in the nurse's office than you think.

My daughter's elementary school has at least a dozen that I know of. And these are just the kids I know of because we are friends with them or she's had classes with them. I'm sure there are plenty of others in different grades that I have no idea about. This is a regular, public elementary school.

I have kids with these allergies in my preschool class more years than not. In the past 10 years that I have been teaching preschool, I (believe) I have only had 2 years where I didn't have a child with an allergy that required an Epi Pen. And I only have 10 kids in my class each year. All those kids go on to elementary school.

We are not allowed to discuss children's health issues with other parents, tell them which child it is, etc. Neither are elementary teachers. You have no idea which kids have allergies, asthma (requiring inhalers), diabetes (requiring insulin), etc. Heck, I had a child in my class one year that had Cystic Fibrosis requiring medication. I had known his family for years and had absolutely no idea until he was in my class and I saw the paperwork.

[hertfordshire]

Originally Posted by ClaraC

I'm going to challenge that - the degree to which these kids have food allergies.

At our school, there's ONE child in the school with a life threatening allergy.

That you're aware of. Unless you're the principal or school nurse, you don't know the medical history of all the students.

[ClaraC]

Originally Posted by hertfordshire

That you're aware of. Unless you're the principal or school nurse, you don't know the medical history of all the students.

Or unless you are good friends with the school nurse and asked if she routinely stores epipens in her office, ;D, and if so, about how many.

I also learned from her that generic epi-pens are carried by school district sports teams or are often available at places like Six Flags Amusement Park for emergencies, although she doesn't have any generic ones in her office.