y phebeoer 4s 1 A c rev b eel 1 a ‘ow Sime Parents Handle Medical Emergencies “If an emergency occurs and (NAPSA)—In a medical emergency, every secd counts—and this is especially true for children wholive with food allergies. we are not there with Derek, the paramedics or emergency staff will know instantly that food allergies affect 6 to 7 milli nephrine, ctrol his breathing According to AllergicChild.com, they need to administer epi- Americans. Eight foods in particu- and get him to the hospital,” lar account for 90 percent of all allergic reactis: peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, soy and wheat. said Cope. He signed his s up for the program after Derek csumed a small amount (0.05mg) of a Food allergies are the lead- dairy product found in rice ice ing cause of anaphylaxis, the immediate and severe reacti to certain foods that accounts parents by identifying children cream labeled “dairy free,” resulting in an emergency room visit. The program is just e step in safeguarding children from such medical emergencies before and reactis and getting the child efforts to csider: for approximately 30,000 emer- gency room visits annually. An allergic reacti from food proves fatal for 100 to 200 people each year. Most school-age children eat two meals a day unsupervised by their parents. Without knowingit, children may csume ingredients that cause allergic reactis, and in some cases it ly takes a tiny amount for a pers to have a severe reacti. Without proper supervisi, children can experience symptoms ranging from hives, swelling, nau- sea and loss of csciousness to even death. In case of just such an emergency, the child’s persal health informati should be available to his or her caretaker and emergency persnel. One simple soluti is the MedicAlert’s Kid Smart program. MedicAlert, known for its persalized lifesaving services since 1956, has improved a successful child-specific program that safeguards and identifies children during an emergency. By wearing a persalized MedicAlert bracelet, children are provided with 24-hour child emer- The Kid Smart program helps who havelife-threatening allergic when they occur. There are other proper treatment should an emer- Inform yourcircle of friends, family, teachers, nurses and other school or day care officials about gency occur. gency ID and family emergency notificati services. If a child experiences a life-threatening allergic reacti, it’s important to dial 911 and notify them about the situati. the seriousness of your child’s allergy. Provide pamphlets or dis- cuss the facts of the allergy and how to recognize the symptoms of a reacti. Define a clear acti plan Emergency medical persnel that can be used during anaphylaxis. This can be a detailed the child’s persal identifica- with your pediatrician or the simple plan outlined by the program. Take ctrol of your chil- are trained to look for the MedicAlert bracelet, which provides ti number, primary medical cditi(s) including any aller- gies, and the 24-hour emergency hotline number. A call to the hotline enables respders to access vital medical informati. Through its Family Notificati service, MedicAlert will call the parents and tell them what’s happened. David Cope, father of 18-year- old Derek, can attest to the com- fort this program provides his family. Derek was diagnosed with being severely allergic to beef and dairy productsat age 2. process developed from scratch dren’s diet and help them take ctrol of their own diet. Try to pack children’s lunches every day to help regulate their diet and ctinue to teach them which foods to avoid, especially those with hidden ingredients. The Parent Teacher Associati (PTA) has joined with MedicAlert to bring about awareness of the Kid Smart program. For more informati, visit www.medicalert.org/kidsmart.
