Key Facts |
Food allergy is a growing public health issue in Canada.
- There is no cure; avoidance of an allergenic food is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction.
- Approximately 2.5 million Canadians self-report having at least one food allergy.*
- One in two Canadians know someone with a serious food allergy.
- The incidence is highest amongst young children (under 3) with close to 6% affected by food allergy.
- About 300,000 Canadian children under 18 years have food allergies.
- Peanut allergy in Canada affects about 2 in 100 children.
- More than 40% of Canadians read food labels looking for allergen information.
Parents generally assume their child’s school bus driver is aware of their child has a severe allergy, what it is and where
their Epipen is kept. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. School bus drivers only know if they have been told or have
it marked on their run sheet.
School buses themselves tend to be magnets for wasps and bees. Big Yellow School Buses attract wasps and bees especially
in the spring and fall. Many times a driver will have had to pull a bus over to remove or kill a bee while 60 students are screaming
because it’s near them. School Bus drivers are trained to administer an Epipen in the event of an anaphylactic episode.
More often than not school bus drivers are unaware of certain students with these issues. Parents and caregivers need
to inform the schools and inform the driver about your child’s severe allergies and where their Epipen is kept.
Awareness makes everyone’s job easier and will keep our kids safe getting to and from school or on a field trip.
To learn more follow this link:
http://www.anaphylaxis.ca/en/i_want/anaphylaxis101/key_facts.html
