ALLERGENS:
 Some people have allergies to foods ... all sorts of foods - eggs, milk products, soy, seafood, tomatoes, wheat and yes, peanuts. Research identifies that approximately 1-2 per cent of the population is allergic to peanuts. These people have sensitivities ranging from a rash to anaphylaxis. PCA recommends that parents be aware of a wide range of potential allergies, the methods of response and treatment, and of diet management. And if you have a food allergy yourself, think "AAA" - Awareness, Avoidance and Adrenalin. While PCA continues to work closely with national and international scientists and food management associations to develop and test methods of lessening and managing allergic reactions to peanuts, we are also working with schools and parent associations to educate people about allergens ... all sorts of allergens.  PCA Fact Sheet About Allergens (63kb PDF) Latest Allergen Research (53kb PDF) Allergy information on other websites
If you or your child has peanut allergy, it is important that you take some simple precautions to avoid having a reaction.
Anaphylaxis is defined as a severe allergic reaction which begins suddenly and proceeds quickly.
October 7, 2008 It might be time for a change in the strategy in the way food allergy prevention is handled.
This was the message in the media last month from Prof Andrew Kemp, Professor of Paediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital.
Prof Kemp, quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald and on ABC Radio (September 26, 2008), said the incidence of food allergies had risen over the past 20 years at the same time as parents had been warned to be cautious about introducing specific foods.
July 4, 2008 The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) has posted a new guide on its website about peanut, tree nut and seed allergy. The guide explains in easy-to-understand language how a person may be allergic to one or many foods but each allergic reaction is a reaction to just one protein in one food only. The bottom line: it is not possible to reliably predict the likelihood of allergy to seed or nut-like food without allergy testing to that particular food.
May 12, 2008 There is a lack of hospital services in New Zealand for people with food allergies, according to a report published in the NZ Medical Journal.
Dr Rohan Ameratunga, an allergy specialist at Auckland Hospital, said services for both children and adults were very limited, especially outside Auckland.
May 12, 2008 A form of immunotherapy to treat peanut allergy is expected to be available within five years, says US allergy expert Professor Wesley Burks from Duke University Medical Centre.
In a report in The Lancet medical journal this month, Prof Burks said peanut allergy affects around 1% of children under the age of five years.
November 30, 2007 The Insidermedicine website, which aims to keep patients, doctors, and medical students around the world up-to-date on the latest medical research, recently interviewed allergy researcher Dr Robert Wood, Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Centre in Baltimore.
August 29, 2007 The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) recently released a series of back-to-school tips to help parents, children and teachers avoid allergies and asthma in the classroom.
July 31, 2007 An agricultural researcher at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in the United States has developed a simple post-harvest process which he says will make peanuts allergen-free.
July 28, 2007 British scientists believe they have identified a key molecule responsible for food allergies.
July 24, 2007 The revised 2007 Allergen Management and Labelling Guide has been released by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AGFC).
June 8, 2007 The Queensland Government will invest $500,000 a year to establish Queensland's first public specialist allergy clinic for children at the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane.
May 30, 2007 In the wake of the growing number of schools and pre-schools in the United States - and increasingly, in Australia - banning nuts and peanuts from their premises, experts have warned again that the complacency that such bans creates could prove dangerous.
May 25, 2007 Despite hundreds of families being told their children have peanut allergies every year, many of these children may be able to eat peanuts safely, a study by researchers at the University of NSW and the Sydney Children's Hospital has found.
April 27, 2007 Australian researchers are hoping to develop a vaccine to protect people with serious peanut allergies, The Age newspaper reported on April 16.
March 13, 2007 A bioengineered version of a common bacteria used in cheese production could be a key to stopping food allergies from developing.
March 1, 2007 Preliminary data presented on February 25 at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting in San Diego indicates oral immunotherapy treatments can reduce the risk of severe peanut allergy in children but will probably not be the total solution to the problem.
February 28, 2007 Australian researchers believe it may be possible to predict which children will eventually outgrow peanut allergies.
February 27, 2007 Parents are uncomfortable about using an EpiPen, even after being trained to use it, the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology annual meeting in San Diego has been told.
February 25, 2007 The AMA has called for a new kit - designed to enable teachers at Victorian schools to deal with children at risk of severe allergic reactions - to be rolled out across Australia.
February 20, 2007 Many parents of children with peanut allergy fear their offspring are at great risk if they accidentally touch peanut butter or inhale peanut butter fumes ...
February 15, 2007 You love peanut butter and don't have a peanut allergy but your girlfriend does ... does this mean you should never kiss her?
January 18, 2007 A former Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Queensland University believes that natural ginger could provide a key to reducing the risk of food intolerances and allergies ... even peanut allergies!
January 3, 2007 There's been exciting news over the past 12 months about peanut allergy with scientists investigating some unique ways to defeat this distressing condition.
December 22, 2006 A £5 million seven-year study has begun in the United Kingdom to determine whether early exposure to peanuts can reduce the risk of developing a peanut allergy.
December 21, 2006
November 20, 2006 Accidental ingestion of peanut rates may be down for people suffering from peanut allergies but there's still room for improvement, according to a recent study.
November 15, 2006 US researchers have identified one of the proteins that may be responsible for causing food allergies, according to a study published in the July 2006 edition of Gastroenterology, the journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.
November 15, 2006 European researchers have shown that levels of antigen-specific immunoglobin (IgE) in the blood correlate well with the results of oral food challenges to predict peanut allergy in children.This could lead to an easier and safer way to confirm peanut allergy.
November 10, 2006 A Scottish primary school is trialling palm scanning technology at lunchtimes which not only eliminates the need for pupils to carry cash but also identifies those students which have food allergies.
November 9, 2006 The Queensland Government introduced new guidelines this week to assist schools to manage students with severe allergies.
November 1, 2006 Victorian kindergarten and school teachers and childcare workers are to be trained how to treat children with life-threatening allergies.
October 27, 2006 A new study has found that a traditional fermented milk drink may help to reduce the number of children with food allergies.
October 17, 2006 Horticulture Professor Peggy Ozias-Akins from the University of Georgia is being funded by the US peanut industry to conduct research into developing an allergy-free peanut.
July 13, 2006 The United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued guidelines to help food producers and retailers improve their labelling advice for people with allergies.
July 13, 2006 Several Canadian schools are trialling a medical alert system based on mobile phone technology to assist students who have food allergies and other medical conditions.
June 14, 2006 Chicago parents Denise and David Bunning are the driving force behind a new lobby group established in the United States which has been getting a lot of positive publicity lately for research into food allergy.
May 22, 2006 The Washington Post newspaper recently published a report on peanut allergy which contained some useful suggestions for avoiding problems when travelling by air.
May 12, 2006 Victorian businessman John Ilhan - founder of the "Crazy John's" chain of mobile phone stores and dubbed BRW Magazine's "Richest Man Under The Age of 40" in 2003 - has donated $1 million to set up a new allergy research centre at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital.
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