Peanut scare causes frightening reaction for young girl and parents

UPDATE: THE mother of a Melbourne girl who suffered a frightening allergic reaction on her first full day of school calls for greater vigilance among parents.

Allergy nightmare for school beginner

THE mother of a Melbourne girl who suffered a frightening allergic reaction on her first full day of school has called for greater vigilance among parents.

Joanne King's five-year-old daughter, Amelie, suffered swelling so severe she couldn't see after coming into contact with peanuts in the playground on Monday.

An awareness group branded parents who allowed children to take nuts to school disrespectful.

Ms King, who praised the quick reaction of school staff, said it was the first time her daughter had such a reaction since being diagnosed with anaphylaxis at 12 months of age. "She couldn't open her eyes, she couldn't see, she was itchy, she felt pretty awful,'' Ms King said.

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It's believed Amelie, who ate lunch inside under supervision, came into contact with the nuts via touch. The little girl - who was not suffering respiratory distress - was given antihistamines and her mother was called.

She took her daughter home, calling paramedics as a precaution. They recommended seeing a GP, who prescribed steroids for the swelling.

Ms King, who shared her story with thousands on ­Facebook, wants to raise awareness about the dangers of anaphylaxis.

Have you had a similar experience? Leave your comment below.

One in 10 children are born with a food allergy. "It's not rare and it's increasing,'' Ms King said. "It's life-threatening.

"I want people to plant that seed and think twice when they are packing their lunches in the morning."

Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia president Maria Said said although exposure via touch rarely led to full-blown reactions, the experience was traumatic. "Sending whole nuts into a primary school in this day and age shows a lack of respect for children with a nut allergy,'' she said.

Victorian Principals Association president Gabrielle Leigh said schools did their best to reduce such incidents but needed co-operation from parents and children to monitor their condition.

"There is no way a teacher could check every minute of the day ­exactly what every child has, and then you've all the time outside in the playground,'' she said.

Schools with students who have or at risk of anaphylaxis must have a management plan, prevention strategies and staff trained to administer an EpiPen.

Amelie's school, which has not been named, has an ­anaphylaxis plan and requests students don't bring nuts.

The youngster still has some swelling, but has returned to school.