Anaphylaxis Campaign

The Anaphylaxis Campaign is the only UK-wide charity solely supporting people at risk from severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). For over 21 years the charity has provided information and support of the highest quality to patients and their families .[1]

Mission

The Anaphylaxis Campaign's ultimate aim is to create a safe environment for all people with allergies by working with and educating the food industry, schools, pre-schools, colleges, health professionals and other key audiences. Our focus is on medical facts, food labelling, risk reduction and allergen management.

The charity empowers patients, carers and healthcare professionals through its Allergy Wise online training. They have a UK-wide network of volunteer-led peer support groups for people whose lives are affected by the risk of an acute allergic reaction. Their aim is to help people with severe allergy to be more confidently in control of their lives.

The charity actively campaigns to raise awareness of anaphylaxis with the general public and with the relevant authorities for better allergy care and treatments.

Origins and key personalities

The Campaign was established in 1994 following the deaths of four people from allergic reactions to nuts. Its founder and honorary vice-president, David Reading, was made OBE in the 2005 New Year's Honours List for services to people with allergies.[2]

The Campaign's honorary president is William Frankland, the pioneer immunologist, who turned 104 in March 2016.[3]

Olympic swimmer Mark Foster has been the Campaign's patron since 2009.[4] His friend and fellow-athlete, Ross Baillie died following an anaphylactic reaction in 1999.

The chef Giorgio Locatelli is also a patron of the Anaphylaxis Campaign since 2013.

National lobbying

The Anaphylaxis Campaign is a founder member of the National Allergy Strategy Group,[5] a coalition of charities, professional organisations and industry, that seeks to improve health services for allergy sufferers in the UK.

The Anaphylaxis Campaign has called for clearer guidelines and greater consistency on food labelling.[6] It has also lobbied to remove what it considers to be unnecessary 'may contain' labelling, arguing that food manufacturers should only use these labels when there is a genuine risk to allergy sufferers.[7]

The Anaphylaxis Campaign has tried to raise awareness of the problems caused by inconsistency in how severe allergy is diagnosed.[8] To help improve awareness among frontline medical practitioners, it launched an online training programme, called AllergyWise,[9] in 2011, accredited by the Royal College of Nursing.[10]

In March 2011, the Anaphylaxis Campaign held a national conference with the Food Standards Agency, the UK government department, on 'Communicating the science of food allergy'.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Anaphylaxis Campaign
  2. ↑ Work of unsung heroes is honoured, BBC News, 31 December 2004
  3. ↑ A life in allergy, Anaphylaxis Campaign
  4. ↑ Jaguar Academy of Sport profile of Mark Foster
  5. ↑ National Allergy Strategy Group
  6. ↑ Experts warn of 'crying wolf' over nut allergies, The Guardian, 24 April 2010
  7. ↑ 'May contain' allergy labels will be more consistent, Food Manufacture, 5 July 2012
  8. ↑ Big rise in patients with deadline allergies, The Observer, 16 April 2006
  9. ↑ AllergyWise online training, Anaphylaxis Campaign
  10. ↑ AllergyWise online training and resources for health care professionals, Royal College of Nursing
  11. ↑ Food Standards Agency e-newsletter, March 2011

External links

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