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By KATIE TELLER
NNA CARLSON has a severe peanut allergy.
It's so bad that if the 3-year-old Stafford County girl is in a room where someone else is eating something made with peanuts, Anna can go into anaphylaxis--which can make it hard to breath, result in a loss of consciousness, and even, on occasion, cause death.
The allergy can be transmitted through the air, by contact or by consumption. Anna's is airborne.
Food allergies in kids are nothing new. But some parents are taking additional measures to protect their kids from the allergens. Anna's allergy was part of her mother's decision to home-school her daughter.
"At this point they will never be able to accommodate her. The peanut tables won't cut it," said Selena Carlson, referring to tables at lunchtime for children who have peanut allergies.
Michele Kendzie, a Fredericksburg resident, has to take even more precautions with her 2-year-old daughter, Caroline, who's allergic to most of the "top eight," foods that account for 90 percent of allergies, according to the Arlington-based Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.
"She eats a lot of meat and vegetables and fruit, lots of alternative grains," Kendzie said.
Kendzie is the founder of the Fredericksburg Area Homeschooling Association and she plans to home-school Caroline.
"Some schools are becoming more aware, and that's a wonderful thing," she said, but she described her daughter's allergies as the "final straw" in the decision to home-school.
Another local resident, Jennifer Miller, is home-schooling her 5-year-old son, Eron. Though Eron's peanut allergy has become less severe since his parents discovered it three years ago, his mother cited "the bonus of keeping him safe" as a factor in her decision to home-school. Miller recalled times when Eron had been in groups with other children where peanut-butter cookies were served as snacks and said there was a "lack of education" about how severe the allergy could be.
The Food and Drug Administration estimates that between 2 percent and 8 percent of children suffer from food allergies and many will eventually outgrow them. Only 2 percent of adults have them, the FDA said.
Food allergies send 30,000 people to the emergency room each year. Anywhere from 150 to 200 people are estimated to die from food allergies annually.
According to the food allergy network, people who are allergic may feel a tingling sensation throughout their body. They may also start to itch, or develop a metallic taste in their mouth. The anaphylaxis can cause hives, trouble breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, a drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness.
This creates a nightmare for parents, who have to read labels carefully and sometimes take even stronger measures.
The Carlsons carry epinephrine injectors, or EpiPens, which in an emergency can counteract symptoms of the peanut allergy.
Additionally, antihistamines such as Benadryl and steroids can be used with epinephrine to counteract the symptoms of anaphylaxis.
In 1990, Congress passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, placing tougher standards on packaged food. Companies were required to list all ingredients, and place warnings on food that can cause an adverse reaction in those with allergies.
But it's still not enough for some people. Many products that don't contain peanuts are produced on equipment that have come in contact with peanuts.
The Carlsons, for example, bake a lot of food from scratch and find ways to avoid peanuts. Selena Carlson mentioned that community groups, including her church, have accommodated her daughter's allergy.
"People have been awesome," Carlson said. "The nut allergy has definitely been a catalyst for us to get out there and get involved and live a very typical American life, just with an EpiPen in our pockets."
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