Allergies force overhaul of school lunch breaks
 |
BRIGHTON: Morning tea and big lunch have become the latest casualties in the fight against
food allergies.
Schools are taking extreme measures to protect soaring numbers of children suffering from anaphylaxis, a form of allergic reaction most commonly associated with peanuts.
St Kieran’s School at Brighton introduced a new morning tea and lunch program this term whereby children eat their lunch in the classroom supervised by their teachers and wipe their hands with a sanitiser before entering the playground.
Principal Charlotte Robinson said three children in the school suffered from peanut allergies and the extra
precautions were warranted.
"We haven’t had children with such severe allergic reactions before and we just want them safe," Mrs Robinson said.
"It’s becoming so prevalent so I can imagine (the measures will) stay in place."
An estimated 380,000 Australians suffer from anaphylaxis, 20,000 of whom are children with reactions to food as common as eggs, milk and peanuts that can cause swelling to the point where they can’t breathe.
St Kieran's parent Lorna Milner's son Kahlan Cooper's peanut and dairy allergies were found after she fed him yoghurt when he was five months old.
``I gave him some baby yoghurt and he went up like a balloon,'' Mrs Milner said.
``He was so swollen on the way to the hospital that the ambulance officer said we may have had to cut a hole in his throat so he could breathe.''
Mrs Milner said her mind was put at ease with the precautions being taken at the school.
``I'm absolutely floored by the way they've been so proactive about it.''
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School at Bracken Ridge identify their three anaphylactic pupils by white bands on the children's hats so they can be easily seen in the playground.
The children wear bum bags containing EpiPens (adrenaline injections) in case emergency treatment is required.
We welcome your comments on this story. Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Please provide your full name. We also require a working email address - not for publication, but for verification. The location field is optional. Read our publication guidelines.
Submit your feedback here:
Do you want to chat, with like-minded people, about local issues that are important to you? Do want to share news and views about your community? Go to whereilive
