About Allergies: Should Peanuts Be Banned From Schools?

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Allergies Allergies Symptoms / Diagnosis Treatment Coping From Daniel More, MD, your Guide to Allergies The idea of banning peanuts from schools is not a new concept. Given that peanut allergy is common and frequently severe and life-threatening, parents of peanut-allergic children would be right to want to ban peanuts from schools. However, there are problems with such an idea. How would such a ban be enforced? Would children be searched for peanut-containing foods before the school day? Who would be in charge of the ban? Could we hold a kindergartener responsible for having a pocket full of peanut M&Ms? What about other children who are allergic to eggs, milk and soy? Do we ban these foods, too? How about those children with severe asthma and dog or cat allergy - do we ban children whose families own cats and dogs at home? Do we make these children change into "clean" clothes so that the pet dander on their clothes doesn't trigger another child's asthma? As you can see, the argument for banning peanuts doesn't hold water - and is a "slippery slope" once you consider the repercussions. A better policy is education of school staff and the other children of a particular child's food allergy, and preparation to deal with anaphylaxis before it happens. Banning Peanuts From School Peanut allergy has become more common over the past many decades, and is the most common food allergy in school-aged children. Allergic reactions to peanuts can be severe, even potentially life threatening. Unfortunately, accidental exposure to peanuts is relatively common, particularly at school. For these reasons, parents of peanut-allergic children have advocated the idea of banning peanuts and peanut-containing foods in schools. See More About:  peanut allergy  food allergy  school allergies All About Peanut Allergy Peanut allergy is the most common form of food allergy in school age children and adults. Milk and egg allergy are more common in infants and toddlers, but allergies to these foods are commonly outgrown by school age. Recent studies show that in North America and the United Kingdom, 1% of children have peanut allergy. See More About:  allergies  allergist  allergy testing Preparing the Food Allergic Child for School Food allergies have been becoming more common over the past few decades, now affecting approximately 4% of all children. Food allergy is a common cause of anaphylaxis at school, with close to 20% of students with food allergies experiencing a reaction. In fact, 25% of children allergic to nuts experience allergic reactions at school even before a diagnosis of food allergy is made. Therefore, it is very important for schools to be prepared to treat allergic reactions in children caused by foods. Is your child's school prepared? Read on to discover what you need to be concerned about, and then ask about special precautions and preparations. See More About:  food allergies  childhood allergies  allergies at school Allergies Ads Allergies Test Peanut Allergies Allergies Treatment Dog Allergies Skin Allergies Dogs Featured Articles Nose and Eye Allergies Skin Allergies Asthma and Lung Allergies Common Allergy Issues in Children Food Allergies Allergies in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding   More from About.com Free Children's Books How would you like to have access to a free online public library of books from around the world for kids 3 to 13? Read more...> Best Water Parks Better pack your bathing suit -- here are our recommendations for the funnest, wettest, splashiest water parks around. Read more...> This newsletter is written by: Daniel More, MD Allergies Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Allergies newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2012 About.com   Must Reads What are Allergies? Symptoms of Allergies Diagnosis of Allergies Treatment of Allergies Preventing Allergies   Follow me on: Advertisement