Introduction
Statistics have shown that asthma is an increasing problem to the point of being called an epidemic. Asthma has more than doubled over the latter part of the twentieth century. Hospitalization and even death due to asthma has risen dramatically, especially among children, and asthma has increased globally and is the leading chronic illness of children and the third chronic disease in the general population. One out of thirteen children has asthma and it accounts for the leading cause of school absenteeism. The disease can prevent even a mild sufferer of asthma from leading a fully productive life. From 1980 to 1994, the proportion of Americans suffering from asthma increased by 75%; in children, the proportion grew by 160%. Asthma also affects some minorities and low-income populations disproportionately 1. One-fourth of Americans today suffer from one form of allergy or another. The prevalence of asthma is greater in women (5.6 percent) than men (5.1 percent) and in blacks (5.8 percent) than in whites (5.1 percent) 2.
Food allergies are of real concern to the general public. With 8 percent of students allergic to certain types of food, particularly peanuts, efforts are being made to ban these products from school lunches. After the 2001 death of a peanut-allergic student in Massachusetts, action plans have been established to prevent and manage anaphylaxis in schools. This action plan is to be in place for the classroom, cafeteria, school sports, playgrounds, extracurricular activities, school trips, and school buses. All students must have access to an epinephrine autoinjector. Every school should have safety guidelines in place for students identified with food allergies.
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