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Allergies big deal at school
Peanut butter not so sweet for children with allergies
Date published: 9/24/2005
By KELLY HANNON Peanut butter is a lunchtime staple in school cafeterias. Paired with grape jelly and sandwiched between two slices of bread, or slathered on celery sticks, the high-protein food pleases even the pickiest eaters. Except for children like Sue Dzurenda's 7-year-old son. Gavin, a second-grader at Spotsylvania's Parkside Elementary, has a peanut allergy. Even a tiny morsel of a peanut or peanut snack can trigger a reaction. Gavin's tongue starts burning, and his body breaks out in hives and begins to swell. "If they're little, you have to never let down your guard. Never let down your guard. And that's really hard," Dzurenda said. In 2005, one in 25 school-age children had food allergies, and for many, it is a peanut allergy, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. The Fairfax-based FAAN, a national organization that tracks allergy cases, reports about 3 million Americans have a peanut allergy. Dr. Peter Smith, an allergist who's worked in Fredericksburg for more than 30 years, says he has seen growing numbers of children with peanut allergies. 'There is no question there is a very significant increase," Smith said. No one knows precisely why numbers are rising--Smith thinks it's related to the way peanuts are processed in America. But it's clear that elementary-school principals are increasingly being tasked with providing a safe environment for these students. Fred Wells, principal at Smith Station Elementary in Spotsylvania, is one of them. He toughened his school's peanut policy recently after a kindergartner suffered a life-threatening reaction during the first week of school. He had already sent letters home to parents of students in the allergic child's class, asking them not to bring in peanut products for snack or class parties. Also, the school nurse worked with the allergy sufferer's parents to ensure her medication would be close at hand in an emergency. It's a good thing they were prepared. The kindergartner fell ill after eating a cookie offered by a classmate at lunch. The teacher, whose back was turned, didn't see the trade happening. The little girl received immediate medical attention, Wells said. She improved significantly after getting an injection from her EpiPen, a needle that administers epinephrine, which reverses the symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction.
Date published: 9/24/2005
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