In October 1993, 17-year-old Sarah Reading
died after eating a lemon meringue pie served to her in the
restaurant of a well-known department store. Sarah suffered
anaphylactic shock - an extreme allergic reaction in which
the blood pressure falls dramatically and the patient rapidly
loses consciousness. The dessert contained peanut - to which
Sarah was fatally allergic.
It soon became clear to Sarah's family that the condition
from which she died was by no means rare. Consequently the
Anaphylaxis Campaign was launched in January 1994 by a small
group of parents, including Sarah's father David. Immediately
the newly-formed Campaign became inundated with calls for
advice and information. The vast majority of these enquiries
came from the parents of children who suffer serious allergic
reactions to peanuts, tree nuts, or both. Occasionally other
foods and substances were implicated, such as milk, eggs,
soya, sesame, shellfish, insect stings and natural rubber
(latex). In many cases there had been life-threatening episodes,
yet often the people concerned had received minimal medical
advice.
Sarah Reading with her dad, David Reading
The
Anaphylaxis Campaign is a membership-based organisation which provides
information and guidance, primarily to its members and to potential
members, but also to the media, health professionals and food companies.
There is also a strong campaigning role, particularly in the areas
of product labelling and allergy services.
By Spring 2005, the Campaign had attracted almost 8,000 members but prominent
allergists are confident this is just the tip of the iceberg. It is
estimated that one in 70 children is allergic to peanuts and in many
cases the symptoms are severe. A significant number of people are
severely allergic to other foods and substances.
The Campaign is a registered charity (No. 1085527) with the following
aims:
1. To preserve the health and relieve those persons who suffer anaphylactic
reactions and associated disorders by advancing research into the
cause and care of such conditions and to publish the results of such
research.
2. To advance the education and general understanding of the public
concerning anaphylaxis and associated disorders. The Campaign has
a range of educational products including information sheets, videos
and a children's book.
All the Campaign's advisers are prominent, respected allergy experts
working within the NHS. One of these advisers, Prof John Warner, Professor
of Child Health at the University of Southampton, is a member of the
Campaign's board of trustees.
The Anaphylaxis Campaign is a registered charity which relies on donations
and subscriptions. If you have found the information on this site
helpful, please consider making
a donation