Raise Your Hand for Anaphylaxis Awareness

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Do you remember your parents worrying about the foods they put into your lunch box when they sent you off to school, just in case one of your classmates were allergic to them? I’d hazard a guess and say that many of you would answer in the negative. If it seems like more and more people have allergies these days, it is because they do. In fact allergies have been identified as a major emerging health problem in the developing world, with Australia and New Zealand being amongst those with the highest rate of allergic disorders. (Source: Allergycapital.com.au)

Like many of you, I suspect, it is not uncommon for my three young children to ask for their friends to come over for play dates (what’s a few more when you’ve got three, right?) – so for me asking the parents if their child has any known allergies has become second nature.

Would you know what to do if your child, or even yourself or a complete stranger, suffered a sudden Anaphylactic reaction to something?

Fortunately, my own children haven’t experienced allergic reactions, but I have witnessed my husband having a rather unpleasant reaction to Penicillin, so familiarising myself with the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction is something of a no-brainer for me. In the event that one of my family or friends, a child in my care or even myself suffered an allergic reaction spotting the signs and taking the necessary steps could be a life-saving skill.

I’d like to think that in my absence, if one of my loved ones suffered an allergic reaction, other people would also be able to identify the symptoms and signs and be prepared to help too.

Last week, we asked our community via Facebook to share their experiences of Anaphylaxis and were surprised how many of you had stories to share and also at the wide range of triggers.

Here are just a few examples:

Anaphylaxis 101 is raising awareness of Anaphylaxis with their ‘Raise my hand’ campaign.

Visit their website to learn more about how to avoid severe allergy and anaphylaxis, and ‘raise your hand.’

By clicking ‘raise my hand’ you will be helping your school to compete to win a $10,000 educational grant.
Every hand counts and the more people who understand anaphylaxis, the easier it will be for those people who are living with severe allergies and anaphylaxis in our communities.