Anaphylaxis can be defined as ‘a serious life-threatening allergic reaction which usually occurs within few seconds or minutes of exposure to allergic substances. This involves hives, swelling and sudden drop in the blood pressure and sometimes shock.’
Following the tragic death of their 15-year-old daughter Natasha to anaphylaxis, Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBEs established The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation in 2019 to fund vital medical research and to raise awareness with an ambitious and world-changing vision to make allergy history.
Tanya told The Guardian: “The largest increase in food allergy diagnosis has been in children 15 and under, and now we are seeing between one and two children in every classroom living with a diagnosed food allergy. It is time for the Government to prioritise allergy medical research, treatment and care within the health system, starting by appointing an allergy tsar to develop a national allergy strategy.”
Helen Blythe created a petition with over 10,900 signatures encouraging the Government to introduce new requirements to protect students with allergies in school. To find out more about the petition, visit here.