For parents of children
with Severe Allergic Reactions, every holiday and outing
can place these children in situations that can cause
an
Anaphylactic Shock, which can be
fatal.
These tips are designed
to offer some assistance to families with children that
have severe allergic reactions, so they may enjoy a
If you
suspect your child may exhibit symptoms
of a severe reaction to any allergen or substance seek
medical attention immediately and consult your doctor for
more information. Also see Links to
Sites about Severe Allergies and Travel
Tips - Children with Severe Allergies.
CLICK ON THE
SPECIFIC TIPS OR SCROLL THE PAGE TO VIEW ALL TIPS
What
is Anaphylactic Shock:
Anaphylactic Shock or Anaphylaxis occurs when a person
experiences a severe allergic reaction to a substance
that causes the body to release body chemicals
triggering rapid and sometimes deadly symptoms. See Symptoms.
Click here to return to
list
Safety
tips for Children with Severe Allergies
Severe
Allergy Reactions can cause a life threatening
situation. In any case of suspected Anaphylactic
Shock, (see Symptoms)
immediate medical attention should be sought.
See Prevention of Anaphylactic
Shock.
See Travel Tips - Children with Severe Allergies.
Parents with a child that exhibits the symptoms
of a severe reaction to certain allergens should be aware
of the serious nature of the situation and ensure that
their child and those caring for the child are aware of
the situation. See Prevention
of Anaphylactic Shock and Travel
Tips - Children with Severe Allergies and Links
to Sites about Severe Allergies.
An injectible epinephrine (Ana-Kit or
EpiPen) must be available at all times and should be
immediately accessible in the event of an allergic
reaction. If travel involves air travel see Special
Considerations for Air Travel with an EpiPen.
See Links to Sites about Severe Allergies.
Click here to return to
list
Potential
Causes of Anaphylactic Shock
Children that have a history of stomach aches
immediately after eating a food or exhibit any Symptoms of
an allergic reaction when exposed to common
causes (and uncommon causes) are at risk of developing
Anaphylactic Shock and a doctor
should be consulted immediately. See Links
to Sites about Severe Allergies for more
information.
While there are a number of causes for Anaphylactic
Shock. Common causes are:
- Severe
allergy to foods including eggs, seafood, nuts,
grains, dairy products, peanuts and peanut
by-products.
- Allergy to drugs including antibiotics such as
penicillin, ceclor and sulphur based antibiotics.
- Insect
bites or stings including bee, wasp and hornet.
See First Aid Tips for Insect Stings
for more information.
- Injected Anesthetics
- Dyes utilized for scans and diagnostic x-rays.
- Latex and other industrial substances.
- See Links to Sites about Severe
for more information including
links to sites about peanut allergies.
Click here to return to
list
Symptoms
Symptoms of Anaphylactic Shock can
prove to be deadly and medical treatment should be sought
immediately it is suspected.
One or more of the symptoms can be present. Some common
symptoms include
- Wheezing or severe breathing problems
- Hives and swelling of the skin, lips or face
- Rapid pulse
- Sweating
- Dizziness, fainting or unconsciousness
- Rapid loss of blood pressure
- Stomach cramps
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Extreme pale skin tone
- See Links
to Sites about Severe Allergies for more
information.
Click here to return to
list
What
to do if you suspect
Anaphylactic Shock
If you suspect Anaphylactic Shock
by the exhibition of one or more symptoms
- seek medical attention immediately.
If an EpiPen is available administer it immediately,
even if the shock is just suspected.
See Safety Tips for Children with Severe
Allergies.
Administration
of an antihistamine may also slow the reaction and symptoms
if an EpiPen is not available but are not a substitution.
Immediately medical attention should be sought.
The patient should lie down with feet elevated. If a
bee sting is the cause of the reaction, remove the stinger
as quickly as possible using a sharp edge or finger nail.
An attempt should be made to identify the cause
of the allergic reaction to assist in avoiding
continued and future contact. See Prevention
of Anaphylactic Shock and Travel
Tips - Children with Severe Allergies.
Even if symptoms subside after
the administration of an EpiPen, medical treatment should
still be sought in case symptoms
reoccur.
See Links
to Sites about Severe Allergies for more
information.
Click here to return to
list
Prevention
of Anaphylactic Shock
Also see Travel
Tips - Children with Severe Allergies.
The best prevention of an Anayphylactic
Shock is to avoid the trigger foods
and substances completely and to be prepared for any
accidental contact by being aware of the symptoms
and what to do if an allergic reaction
is suspected. While it may be quite difficult to avoid
the allergen causes, parents of a
child with severe allergies and the child/patient
themselves must be aware of the causes
and take responsibility to avoid them.
Wear a Medic Alert bracelet. See Links
to Sites about Severe Allergies.
Education is a key element in avoiding or reducing the
risk of Anaphylactic Shock. Labels on
processed foods must be carefully reviewed before any
product is consumed or handled. Many common food causes
have various terms to describe them as ingredients.
See Links to Sites about Severe Allergies.
Foods can also be cross-contaminated during storage and
transport. Items purchased in bulk or loose bins should be
strictly avoided.
Children/patients must be instructed to never eat food
given to them by other children or adults other than their
parents. Never Share drinks with others.
Parents and children/patients should be repeatedly
reminded to avoid contact with the allergy causes
and the importance of prompt treatment if symptoms
appear and the risk of Anaphylactic Shock is suspected,
before respiratory problems occur.
Click here to return to
list
Links
to Sites about Severe Allergies
We offer links to
sites that may offer more information about Severe Food
Allergies. See Terms and
Conditions for Use of this Site for disclaimer.
www.cps.ca - web site
of the Canadian Paediatric Society.
http://cgi1.cadvision.com/~allergy/aaia/index.htm
- web site of the Allergy/Asthma Information Association.
www.anaphylaxis.org
- web site of Anaphylaxis Canada.
www.cfia-acia.agr.ca
- web site for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for
information on good labelling.
www.medicalert.ca
- web site for Medic Alert Foundation, a registered
charity.
www.canadian-health-network.ca
- web site for the Canadian Health Network.
www.dietitians.ca
- web site for Dietitians of Canada.
www.oma.org/phealth/peanuts.htm
- web site of the Ontario Medical Association - link goes
directly to information about Peanut Allergies.
http://www.crfa.ca/research_foodallergies.shtml
- Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association of
Canada Web Site information on the Allergy Awareness
program.
http://www.foodallergy.org/faaa.html
- Web Site of the The Food
Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network - dedicated to increase
public awareness about food allergies and anaphylaxis, to
provide education, and to advance research on behalf of
all those affected by food allergies.
Click here to return to
list
All Tips are offered as suggestions only
While we have tried to provide you with
a list of suggestions to help parents when travelling with
children to keep them safe, unfortunately, we can’t
think of everything and it is the responsibility of
parents to ensure their children’s safety.
|
For Tips on Travelling with Children suffering from
Severe Allergies Click Below:
For First Aid Tips Click on
Keep the Bugs at Bay, Eight Tips for a Bug Free Summer
For First Aid Tips about Insect Stings
Click Below:
Also See Tips on Eating Out with
Children Click Below:
See the following sections for specific tips:
For General Travel Safety Tips Click on
For Car Safety Tips Click on
For
Hotel and Hotel Room Safety Tips Click on
For Winter Holiday Safety Tips Click on
For Playground Safety Tips Click on
For Biking Safety Tips Click on
For Pool and Beach Safety Tips Click on
For Fire Safety Tips Click on
For Kids Club Safety Tips Click on
For Sun Safety Tips Click on
For Tips on Buying Safe Toys Click
Below:
For Safety Tips for Using Public Washrooms Click on
For In-line Skating Safety Tips Click on
For Safety Tips for visiting Petting
Zoos and Animal Farms Click Below:
For Holiday Safety Tips Click Below:
You may also want to check out
Travel
News - Safety Issues
Click below to return to Travel Safety
Tips
|