Child food allergies: 1 in 13 kids crying out for new policy? (Morning Read)

One in 13 children have a food allergy according to a study released Monday. The number isn't as surprising as the layered analysis and suggestions coming out with the report. "What I hope this paper will do is open this awareness to how common (food allergy) is and how severe it can be, and develop policies for schools and sporting events and any activities that kids participate in to make it clear that everybody is looking out for these kids," she told Reuters Health. Many schools are already aggressive about managing food allergies, and the Centers for Disease Control are already working on national guidelines for schools to manage food allergies. But will the next step be state-by-state mandates for food allergy management? The study hints that previous food allergy studies were shoddy: more health surveys with a few allergy questions mixed in. Researchers want to raise awareness of false positives - many who mistake food intolerance for allergies - and the severity of food allergies.

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Time for a child allergy czar? One in 13 children have a food allergy according to a study released Monday. The number isn’t as surprising as the layered analysis and suggestions coming out with the report.

“What I hope this paper will do is open this awareness to how common (food allergy) is and how severe it can be, and develop policies for schools and sporting events and any activities that kids participate in to make it clear that everybody is looking out for these kids,” she told Reuters Health.

Many schools are already aggressive about managing food allergies, and the Centers for Disease Control is already working on national guidelines for schools to manage food allergies. But will the next step be state-by-state mandates for food allergy management?

The study hints that previous food allergy studies were shoddy: they were just health surveys with a few allergy questions mixed in. Researchers want to raise awareness of false positives – many who mistake food intolerance for allergies – and the severity of food allergies.

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