Schools 'Ill-equipped To Deal With Food Allergies
A team of doctors from the University Hospital Sharjah (UHS) have found that schools are not well-equipped to deal with severe allergies.
The team visited 33 schools in Sharjah over the course of two years and found that 14 children had had an 'anaphlyactic episode' at some point in their education.
In total, the team found 16 to 18 percent of children who suffer from some form of food allergy have experienced an episode while at school.
According to the Gulf News, of more concern is that lifesaving epinaphrine via 'Epi-Pens' are simply not available in many schools. Instead, these schools are relying on over the counter antihistamine tablets and the emergency services (calling 911).
Dr Mansour Ahmad, senior pediatrician with UHS told the publication, “the purpose behind this survey was to educate the school authorities, doctors and nurses on duty and parents about such allergy episodes and prepare them to handle such emergencies swiftly."
"We would like to suggest to schools to keep at least two to three Epi Pens at schools in addition to anti-histamines and other medication and would like to train the school medical team in administering it,” he continued.
Using the findings of the survey, the doctors are now proposing a recommendation for the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Prevention that will see a clear protocol for UAE schools to follow when dealing with food intolerances and allergies.
This will include keeping Epi-Pens in all school medical kits.
He went on to say, “it is a life-saving jab [the Epi-Pen] and works quickly to relieve symptoms that can in many cases be fatal. Later, the child can be shifted to a hospital for further investigation and treatment.”
The survey is part of a wider University Hospital Sharjah’s allergy and intolerance awareness campaign.
“We plan to have food allergy workshops and prepare [parents] for a quick response. The school authorities also need to have training as most food allergy episodes take place during the child’s time at school,” said Dr Ahmad.
