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  When food can be fatal: Update September 18, 2005 Reporter : Helen Dalley Producer : Ann Buchner  Despite growing community awareness about the dangers of severe food allergies, Australian children continue to die from preventable acute allergic reactions known as anaphylaxis. This week Sunday reveals for the first time the tragic story of four-year-old Alex Baptist who died a year ago from anaphylactic shock in a Melbourne pre-school, even though he was carrying life-saving medication. Earlier this year, Sunday spoke exclusively to the parents of Hamidur Rahman — a 13-year-old who also died from an allergic reaction to peanut butter while attending a school camp three years ago. The family were bewildered how this tragedy could have happened when they say they informed the school that their teenaged son couldn’t eat peanuts. Following an inquest into Hamidur Rahman's death last week, NSW Deputy State Coroner Jacqueline Milledge recommended there must be proper training of all staff and students in the state's schools and childcare centres about the risks of food allergies and correct emergency treatment of acute reactions. All this is cold comfort to Alex Baptist’s parents who believe their son would still be alive today if proper training of childcare staff had been widely available in Victoria at the time of his death ... This week marks one year since young Alex Baptist died after an anaphylactic — or severely allergic — reaction, while attending his local kindergarten. It's suspected the vibrant four-and-a-half-year old inadvertently came into contact with the merest trace of peanuts … a food that's harmless to most of us, but enough to send his nut-allergic little body into a rapid spiral towards death When Alex was a toddler he had been properly diagnosed by an allergy clinic as potentially anaphylactic to peanuts. He was prescribed an Epi-pen — containing a life-saving adrenaline dose — that was to be administered immediately if he showed any symptoms of an allergic reaction. During an acute anaphylactic reaction, the victim's blood pressure drops and their tongue and throat swell, blocking the airways and leading to death by suffocation and heart failure. Quickly administering adrenalin in the early stages of a reaction can reverse these deadly symptoms. What's frightening about Alex's story is that once they understood the potential severity of Alex's allergy, the family did what medical experts told them would keep their child safe. Indeed when Alex had his reaction late last year, much was known in the community about preventing anaphylaxis. Alex never left home without his Epi-pen and his parents Martha and Nigel told everyone who came in contact with their son that exposure to the merest trace of peanuts could potentially kill him. While their home state of Victoria was woefully lax in forcing schools and pre-schools to adopt proper management plans and carer training for anaphylaxis, the Baptists' kindergarten supported Nigel and Martha's vigilance and only allowed fruit to come into the centre. An allergy Action Plan — clearly detailing what to do if Alex had a reaction, swelled up or stopped breathing — was prominently displayed in the kinder and the family says they were assured the teachers were properly trained to use an Epi-pen. But on the day of Alex's severe reaction things went horribly wrong. Nigel and Martha believe somehow Alex was exposed to peanut butter and that child-care staff failed to administer his life-saving adrenalin. Martha Baptist told Sunday that Alex became distressed and had trouble breathing in the playground soon after eating morning tea. He collapsed and lost consciousness — showing characteristic symptoms of an acute allergic reaction. Martha Baptist says she was told that when a teacher went to administer Alex's Epi-pen, the teacher accidentally jabbed into her finger instead: "We don't believe that Alex got his adrenalin," said Martha. But what shatters Alex's parents is that they believe a second attempt was not made to administer adrenalin belonging to another child at the kindergarten. "It does concern us because there was another Epi-pen in the cupboard and a decision was made not to give that to Alex," said Martha Baptist. Alex's grief stricken father Nigel said: "It's just so hard for us to comprehend; you know that anyone could not give it to our Alex who was there lying, dying on the floor." Despite receiving CPR from teachers at the kindergarten, Alex had stopped breathing by the time an ambulance arrived and could not be revived. Michael Vassili, a lawyer acting for the Baptist family, believes that kindergarten staff on duty that day had not been adequately trained to manage the crisis: "Anyone who was properly trained would know that that child needed adrenalin, he needed the Epi-pen immediately. If there was an Epi-pen there, proper training would have guided the appropriate person to the Epi-pen and it would have been administered." Dr Rob Loblay, head of the RPA Hospital Allergy Clinic, believes the events surrounding Alex Baptist's death highlight a common concern among child-carers and teachers faced with treating an anaphylactic reaction — "'Am I legally liable if I use an Epi-pen when it hasn't been prescribed, or use another child's Epi-pen'. These are unfounded fears and so we need to sort of address that issue as well." The Baptists believe an inquest is the only way they will learn the truth about their son's death and prevent a similar tragedy happening to another Victorian family. Indeed it is only after a full Coronial Inquiry into the death of in NSW school boy Hamidur Rahman that the full details of Hamidur's death have been revealed. Four months ago, Siddiqur and Rokeya Rahman spoke exclusively to Sunday about the loss of their 13-year-old son Hamidur while he was attending a school camp. Last week Siddiqur and Rokeya Rahman attended the Glebe Coroners Court in Sydney, to hear the grim news of why their beloved son died from peanut anaphylaxis. The Rahmans had known Hamidur was allergic to peanuts all his life. He never ate them, but they said they'd never been told by doctors or health practitioners how serious it could be, and knew nothing of Epi-pens. While the school was informed Hamidur couldn't eat peanuts at camp, the Deputy Coroner expressed her shock that this information was not passed onto the teachers on duty the night he died, after tasting peanut butter given to him by a teacher during a game. When Hamidur collapsed moments later, at first teachers were unaware that they were dealing with the catastrophic symptoms of anaphylaxis. Despite valiant efforts by teachers to save his life, there was no life saving adrenalin on hand and Hamidur died before an ambulance could get him proper medical treatment. To ensure such preventable tragedies never happen again, last week the Coronial findings recommended: — Anaphylaxis awareness training immediately be undertaken by child care centres and school staff and students, including proper training using Epi-pens. — All schools and childcare facilities must undertake "risk assessment" for all educational and recreational activities involving children. — Identify all children in schools and childcare facilities who suffer from allergies and put this information on a central register accessible by all staff. — All children at risk of anaphylaxis be subject to a uniform management plan. — That parents be required to tell schools if their child is at risk of an allergic reaction. — The NSW government should fund the employment of nurse-educators to provide proper training in all schools and childcare facilities — The NSW Attorney General enact legislation similar to Canada's "Sabrina's Law", to protect children at risk, and to safeguard staff from prosecution, if they come to a child's assistance. This law followed the death of Ontario schoolgirl Sabrina Shannon, who died after inadvertently eating a trace of allergen in the school canteen. The intention of this law would be to protect pupils at risk of anaphylaxis and safeguard teachers and staff from prosecution if an act done to mange or save a child was undertaken "in good faith". Unfortunately at the time of his death, Hamidur Rahman, his family or his school had no idea of how potentially fatal his food allergy could be. Hamidur had never been prescribed the life-saving Epi-pen and the school boy stood little chance against a rapid anaphylactic reaction. But what crushes Nigel and Martha Baptist is they took all the preventative steps they could, but still couldn't save their little Alex. They implore state and federal governments to do more to protect allergic children.  "Please do something about this, don't ignore Alex's death, he is worth more than that, "said Martha Baptist. "Don't ignore the other children out there with food allergies, please help them and help their parents make life safer for them. We can't recover from this; we'll never get over this. Our hearts will always be aching for him."For more information and support about managing food allergies, contact Anaphylaxis Australia: Phone: 1300 728 000 Website: www.allergyfacts.org.au |
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