Parliamentary inquiry to study shock rise in food allergies

Deadly anaphylaxis rates from food have doubled in 10 years while hospital admissions have increased five-fold over the past 20 years, with a parliamentary inquiry now set to examine the problem.

DEADLY anaphylaxis rates from food have doubled in 10 years while hospital admissions have increased five-fold over the past 20 years.

The shocking figures come as allergy and anaphylaxis will be examined in a parliamentary inquiry, with more than four million Australians now living with the life-threatening health condition.

The reason for the rapid rise in allergies in Australia, which has one of the highest rates of allergy in the world, remains unknown.

Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia chief executive officer Maria Said, whose son has severe allergies, said Federal Government funding was urgently needed to increase awareness of allergic diseases.

“The cases where someone has died because of a food allergy are all preventable,” she said.

Figures show one in 10 infants now have a food allergy. File picture

“It is a tsunami when it comes to allergies in Australia and we are still in the middle of it and we are losing people through the cracks — people who are not being diagnosed properly, not being treated properly and other people who are losing their lives.”

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport will report on potential and known causes of anaphylaxis in Australia, food and drug allergy management, access and cost of services as well as treatment and support services.

Committee chairman Trent Zimmerman, the Federal member for North Sydney, said the issue impacted many families, schools and child care centres.

“While the cause of the increase in allergies remains uncertain, what is clear is that this is a phenomenon found primarily in wealthier western nations like Australia,’’ he said.

“The Committee will investigate whether there is anything further the Government could be doing to make life easier for people living with allergies and anaphylaxis.’’

Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia figures showed one in 10 infants now have a food allergy and that life-threatening food allergy rates have doubled in the past 10 years.

Allergy deaths increased by 42 per cent from 1997 — 2013.

Eleven-year-old Jazmine Bennett, of the Sunshine Coast, had her first anaphylactic reaction when she was just nine months old after touching a crust broken off a piece of peanut butter toast.

Jazmine has since been diagnosed with life-threatening allergies to peanut and pine nuts. She has had other serious reactions requiring the use of an adrenaline-injecting Epipen after she touched a kitchen bench top previously used to prepare pesto and after holding hands with a child who had just eaten a muesli bar containing peanuts.

Jazmine’s mother Sheree Johnson, 49, of Peregian Springs, said her daughter has suffered serious anxiety from her allergies and has revealed to a psychologist she was “scared of dying’’.

“You don’t want your child to worry but you still have to be really careful because it is so serious,’’ she said.

“In Jazmine’s case, it’s life threatening.’’

Submissions to the parliamentary inquiry from the public, health professionals and other organisations will be accepted until October 24.

• Fatal Reaction, Qweekend