CDC releases first food allergy guidelines for schools
| Atlanta
The federal government is issuing its first guidelines to schools on how to protect children with聽food聽allergies.
The voluntary guidelines call on schools to take such steps as restricting nuts, shellfish, or other聽foods聽that can cause allergic reactions, and make sure emergency聽allergy聽medicine 鈥� like EpiPens 鈥� are available.
About 15 states 鈥� and numerous individual schools, or school districts 鈥� already have policies of their own. "The need is here" for a more comprehensive, standardized way for schools to deal with this issue, said Dr. Wayne Giles, who oversaw development of the advice for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Food聽allergies聽are a growing concern. A recent CDC survey estimated that about 1 in 20 US children have聽food聽allergies聽鈥� a 50 percent increase from the late 1990s. Experts aren't sure why cases are rising.
Many聽food聽allergies聽are mild and something children grow out of. But severe cases may cause anaphylactic shock or even death from eating, say, a peanut.
The guidelines released Wednesday were required by a 2011 federal law.
Peanuts, tree nuts, milk, and shellfish are among the聽food聽that most often most trigger reactions. But experts say more than 170 foods聽are known to cause reactions.
The new advice call for schools to do such things as:
鈥擨dentify children with聽food聽allergies.
鈥擧ave a plan to prevent exposures and manage any reactions.
鈥擳rain teachers or others how to use medicines like epinephrine injectors, or have medical staff to do the job.
鈥擯lan parties or field trips free of聽foods聽that might cause a reaction; and designate someone to carry epinephrine.
鈥擬ake sure classroom activities are inclusive.
For example, don't use Peanut M&M's in a counting lesson, said John Lehr, chief executive of an advocacy group that worked on the guidelines,聽Food聽Allergy聽Research & Education (FARE).
Carolyn Duff, an elementary school nurse in Columbia, S.C., said she was glad to see the guidelines.
"Many schools may not have policies. And if they do, maybe the policies aren't really comprehensive," said Duff, president of the National Association of School Nurses.
US Rep. Nita Lowey, a New York Democrat who worked on the law that led to the guidelines, said in a statement that they are a big step toward giving parents "the confidence that their children will stay safe and healthy at school."
