BSACI summarises recent research indicating:9

·      food allergy prevalence is 7.1% in breast-fed infants

·      1 in 40 breast-fed children will develop peanut allergy and 1 in 20 will develop egg allergy

·      almost 1 in 5 children with early-onset eczema are at risk of developing peanut allergy by 5 years old

·      approximately 1 in 40 children are affected by cow's milk allergy

Hospital admissions for anaphylaxis have been increasing for children (and adults) over the past two decades. Fatalities have generally decreased, but teenagers and young adults are the age groups most likely to have a fatal reaction to food.14 In addition, a study using Birmingham hospital data concluded: €British South Asian children are at a greater risk of severe anaphylaxis than white children.€15

MHRA guidance says that anyone with an anaphylaxis risk should carry two adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) at all times. €This is particularly important for people who also have allergic asthma as they are at increased risk of a severe anaphylactic reaction.€16

The charity Anaphylaxis Campaign has campaigned for the law to change to allow schools to hold generic AAIs and to ensure schools also have sufficient staff trained to operate the device in an emergency.17 In July 2017, the Department of Health announced an amendment to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012which will allow UK schools to acquire AAIs without prescription and store them for use in emergencies, with effect from October 1 2017[CRG1] .18,27