The Empire State Building was lit teal on May 13, 2018 to kick off Food Allergy Awareness Week!
This year Food Allergy Awareness Week is May 13-19, 2018. Created in 1998, the goal of Food Allergy Awareness Week is to educate the public about food allergies, a potentially life-threatening disease. Food Allergy Awareness Week provides a special opportunity to shine a light on food allergies and anaphylaxis.
Here are some key facts about food allergy epidemic in the US:
- 1 in 13 children has a food allergy. That’s two in every classroom!
- Every 3 min, a food allergy reaction sends someone to the ER – that’s more than 200,000 visits per year.
- 8 foods account for the majority of all reactions: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish.
- Food allergies can begin at any age and affect children and adults of all races and ethnicity.
- There was a 50% increase in the prevalence of childhood food allergy between 1997 and 2011.
Austin Family Allergy & Asthma is Austin’s premier food allergy center. We are community leaders in promoting food allergy awareness, teaching our schools and daycares about food allergy and epinephrine usage, and advocating for increased epinephrine access in schools at the Texas state legislature. We see children and adults with food allergy on a daily basis in our office for accurate diagnosis and management. We also conduct food challenges when necessary. If you think you or your child may have a food allergy, please call us to set up an appointment.
