[metal_geek]

Originally Posted by GGG

I agree it can reduce the cross-contamination issue but I would ask what a teacher is doing handing out the sandwichs or the kid picking up the random granola bar off the table. As well as you will get the jerk parent who refuese compliance. I just don't see the benefits in artificial security.

On a curious note (I am not trying to make light of the situation) Is there anywhere with information on how many peanut related deaths/near deaths there are each year and if that has changed over the course of implementing the peanut free movement. If it can be shown to be reducing deaths I would be in favour of it but it seems like a knee-jerk attempt to avoid litagation likely based on a very large US settlement somewhere.

There are stats but they are conflicting. In that some say the deaths to allergies are small, some say its bigger, there is alot of confusion with asthma and allergies deaths..

Most of the stats are out of the US too, they have a much better reporting system then we do. Stats are stats so take them with a grain of salt, but there is some raw data around to be found....

At risk for anaphylaxis

• There are 1.3 million to 13 million people who are allergic to insect stings.3,11
  • Each year, 40 to 400 anaphylactic deaths occur from insect stings.1,11-13
  • In people who have had a reaction to an insect sting, 30% to 60% will have a repeat reaction that is as severe or more severe than the first episode.14
• Food allergies affect 5.4 million to 7 million people.2
  • The incidence of food allergy in children is increasing.6
  • More than 2 million, or 8%, of U.S. children under three years old have food allergies.16
  • There are three million, or 1.1%, Americans who are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.2
  • Each year, 125 deaths are attributed to food-related anaphylaxis.17
• There are 2.7 million to 16 million people who are allergic to latex.9,10,18
  • In health care workers, 8% to 17% are latex sensitive.7,8,18
• Up to 27 million people, 0.7% to 10%, are allergic to penicillin.19
  • Penicillin is responsible for about 5,440 cases of fatal anaphylaxis per year, which accounts for an estimated 75% of U.S. anaphylaxis deaths.1,20
  • Most deaths occur among individuals with no history of drug allergies.1
• Asthmatics are at particular risk for experiencing anaphylaxis.1

Incidence

• Anaphylaxis occurs at a rate of 21 per 100,000 people each year in the Northern United States21
  • Nearly 82,000 episodes of anaphylaxis may occur each year in the United States22
  • More than 57,000 Americans may experience anaphylaxis each year.22

Speed of potentially fatal anaphylaxis

• It takes only 1 to 2 minutes for a mild allergic reaction to escalate to anaphylaxis.24
• The faster the onset of an anaphylactic reaction, the greater the likelihood that it will be severe.1

References

1. AAAAI. Anaphylaxis in schools and other child-care settings. Position statement #34. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1998;102:173-176.
2. Sicherer SH, Muñoz-Furlong A, Burke AW, et al. Prevalence of peanut and tree nut allergy in the US determined by a random digit dial telephone survey. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999;103:559-562.
3. Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. J Allergy Clin Immunol. The diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis. 1998;101(6 pt 2):S465-S528.
4. Kagy L, Blaiss MS. Anaphylaxis in children. Pediatric Annals. 1998;27:727-734.
5. Shehadi WH. Adverse reactions to intravascularly administered contrast media: a comprehensive study based on a prospective survey. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med. 1975;124:145-152.
6. Katayama H, Yamaguchi K, Kozuka T, Takashima T, Seez P, Matsuura K. Adverse reactions to ionic and nonionic contrast media. A report from the Japanese Committee on the Safety of Contrast Media. Radiology. 1990;175:621-628.
7. Watts DN, Jacobs RR, Forrester B, et al. An evaluation of the prevalence of latex sensitivity among atopic and non-atopic intensive care workers. Am J Intern Med. 1998;34:359-363.
8. Liss GM, Sussman GL, Deal K, et al. Latex allergy: epidemiological study of 1351 hospital workers. Occup Environ Med. 1997;54:335.
9. Ownby DR, Ownby HE, McCullough J, Shafer AW. The prevalence of anti-latex IgE antibodies in 1000 volunteer blood donors. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1996;97:1188-1192.
10. Kelly KJ, Sussman G, Fink JN. Stop the sensitization. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1996;98:857-858.
11. Valentine MD. Anaphylaxis and stinging insect hypersensitivity. JAMA. 1992;268:2830-2833.
12. Lieberman P. Preventing fatalities from anaphylaxis: an allergist-immunologist's perspective. Allergy Proceedings. 1995;3:109-111.
13. Wyatt R. Anaphylaxis: how to recognize, treat and prevent potentially fatal attacks. Postgrad Med. 1996;100:87-99.
14. Reisman RE. Natural history of insect sting allergy: relationship of severity of symptomatic initial sting anaphylaxis to re-sting reactions. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1992;30:335-339.
15. Sampson HA. Food allergy: primer on allergic and immunologic diseases. JAMA. 1997;288:1888-1894.
16. Bock SA. Prospective appraisal of complaints of adverse reactions to foods in children during the first 3 years of life. Pediatrics. 1987;79:683-688.
17. Burks AW, Sampson HA. Anaphylaxis and food allergy. In: DD Metcalf, HA Sampson, RA Simon, eds. Food Allergy: Adverse Reactions to Foods and Food Additives. 2nd ed. Malden, Mass: Blackwell Science; 1997.
18. Arellano R, Bradley J, Sussman G. Prevalence of latex sensitization among hospital physicians occupationally exposed to latex gloves. Anaesthesiology. 1992;77:905-908.
19. Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program. Drug-induced anaphylaxis. JAMA. 1973;224:613.
20. Bochner BS, Lichtenstein LM. Anaphylaxis. N Engl J Med. 1991;324:1785.
21. Yocum MW, Butterfield JH, Klein JS, et al. Epidemiology of anaphylaxis in Olmstead County: a population-based study. J Allergy Clin Immun. 1999;104:452-457.
22. Weiler JM. Anaphylaxis in the general population: a frequent and occasionally fatal disorder that is under-recognized. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999;104:271-273.
23. Sampson H, Mendelson L, Rosen J. Fatal and near-fatal anaphylactic reactions to food in children and adolescents. N Engl J Med. 1992;327:380-384.
24. The Merck Manual. 16th ed. Merck Research Laboratories; 1992:331.
25. Stark BJ, Sullivan TJ. Biphasic and protracted anaphylaxis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1986;78:76.
26. Brazil E, MacNamara AF. "Not so immediate" hypersensitivity—the danger of biphasic anaphylactic reactions. J Accid Emerg Med. 1998;(4):252-253.
27. Korenblatt, et al. A retrospective study of the administration of epinephrine for anaphylaxis indicating need for more than one dose [abstract 234]. ACCP. 1998.
28. Neugut AI, Ghatak AT, Miller RL. Anaphylaxis in the United States: an investigation into its epidemiology. Arch Intern Med. 2001;161:15-