Food allergy can profoundly impact daily life, turning ordinary moments into potential crises. For some, a simple meal or snack can lead to a life-threatening emergency.
Recognising these challenges, the EFA food allergy patient Community proudly contributed to a key publication for the prevention and management of anaphylaxis, titled as ‘10 practical priorities to prevent and manage serious allergic reactions: GA2LEN ANACare and EFA Anaphylaxis Manifesto’.
Published in early December, the paper united 13 patient organisations worldwide, spanning Europe, Canada, Australia and the US. It was developed in partnership with the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA2LEN) ANACare programme. Among the authors, EFA President Marcia Podestà and member representatives Céline Demoulin (France), Mikaela Odemyr (Sweden), Angel Sánchez Sanz (Spain) and Sabine Schnadt (Germany) made significant contributions.
Doctors and patients united around ten life-saving priorities
This joint initiative is a landmark example of synergy between patients and doctors in the area of food allergy. Written in accessible language, the manifesto is designed for a broad audience, including healthcare professionals from various specialties, policymakers and patients.
The manifesto identifies 10 key patient-centred priorities to prevent and improve immediate and long-term management of anaphylaxis. These priorities address immediate and long-term challenges:
- Increasing awareness on how to identify, respond to and proactively manage severe allergic reactions, including via public information campaigns
- Train existing and future healthcare professionals to proactively support people at risk
- Ensure that anaphylaxis is categorised as a medical condition in all countries
- Implement integrated care pathways across healthcare systems for better access to risk assessment, diagnosis, education and dietetic support
- Educate the food, hospitality and travel industries about food allergy and best communication towards patients
- Empower patients through the provision of clear self-management plans, including when and how to use adrenaline
- Ensure that health professionals are trained to use quality of life assessments
- Improve access to and legal oversight of approved adrenaline devices, including the prescription of two adrenaline devices for people at risk
- Invest in easy access to psychoeducational support to address the burden of people living with allergy and their carers
- Take necessary legislative measures to enable information, including mandatory Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL) in prepacked products
EFA is committed to continuing working with the scientists and healthcare professionals’ community to bring forward evidence to improve lives of people with food allergy.
You can access the full manifesto here.