We are very grateful to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors who proclaimed May 13-19, 2012 as Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW).  We ask the public to take some time and review our website for information about food allergies.  Try out our new "Can You Subtract?" campaign, as we challenge the public to subtract one of the top eight allergens in the United States; peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, egg, dairy, shellfish, fish, and soy during FAAW.  Additionally, children can participate in the Detective Spot D. Allergen activity!  Feel free to review the proclamation or download a PDF copy by clicking the button below.

Time to thank those who have kept your child safe and included this school year!  We encourage families to take a moment and thank the teachers who have continued to help manage your child's allergies in their class. Each school will be celebrating in their own way, some with a week's worth of activities sponsored by the PTA/PTO/PTSO. If possible, try and take part in some of these activities with your children or even write a thank you note.

LAN would like to take this time to thank all the LCPS staff for their continued efforts to keep allergic students safe and included in all school activities. We acknowledge the difficult task and effort that goes into caring for a child with this life threatening disability.  We hope that you will continue this effort for years to come.

In an Omaha, Nebraska elementary school, an entire special education staff has been fired after an alleged cover up.  The staff was preparing a lesson about sandwiches, using peanut butter sandwiches, in a classroom which included a peanut allergic, non-verbal student.  After the student had a reaction needing a call to 911, the staff threw away any evidence and claimed they did not know what had happened to the child.  The staff was dismissed due to the cover up but the question for many remains is, why was an allergen even brought in the room in the first place?  Why was an allergen, known to be deadly, exposed to a student with a known peanut allergy?  

News Video:
http://www.kmtv.com/multimedia/videos/?bctid=1618384454001

One Spot Allergy Report:
http://blog.onespotallergy.com/2012/05/shame-on-them-cover-up-revealed-after-special-needs-student-has-allergic-reaction/

Well, can you subtract?  Loudoun Allergy Network (LAN) is asking the public this very question. As an effort to raise food allergy awareness, this interactive campaign targets both teens and adults, and is an addition to LAN's Food Allergy Aware program.  Participants are asked to avoid 1 of the top 8 allergens during Food Allergy Awareness Week, May 13-19, 2012.  Then discuss the results on the interactive Participant Message Board.   

We are happy to introduce our new Food Allergy Aware program to help families and school staff!  Just in time for Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW), this educational activity was created by LAN Chair, Thanita Glancey, which helps children (and grown ups!) become food allergy detectives.  A fun activity to do at home or with your class*.  Find suspects.  List their locations.  Earn your official badge.  Anyone can be Detective Spot D. Allergen!

Today, Virginia Governor, Bob McDonnell, signed the epinephrine legislation.  This new law will require public schools in Virginia to adopt and implement policies to stock non-student specific epinephrine auto-injectors and identify appropriate trained staff to administer the life saving medication.  Last week, a $200,000 budget passed to support the purchase of epinephrin auto-injectors for Virginia public schools during the 2012-2013 school year.

Each year, FAAN recognizes individuals or organizations that have provided outstanding service or have made significant contributions to food allergy awareness, education, outreach or advocacy. The awards were named in honor of the daughter of Anne Muñoz-Furlong, FAAN's founder.  This year, Loudoun Allergy Network (LAN) Chairperson, Thanita Glancey, was one of the recipients to receive this honor.

New legislation has been signed by the Governor of Virginia to allow schools to stock non-student specific emergency epinephrine injections.  The new law will assist in the treatment of anaphylaxis to individuals in school who is experiencing anaphylaxis due to a known or unknown allergy, whether to foods or insect sting.  Up to 25% of epinephrine injection at the school setting involved individuals who had no prior history of allergies; first time experiences.  Without this law, those individuals, with no prior history of allergies, would not be able to receive this life saving medication unless one was prescribed to them by a physician.  In those cases, the individuals would wait for emergency medical personnel to arrive to the school to receive treatment for the reaction.  With anaphylaxis, minutes, even seconds, count and can be the difference between life and death.  For survivors, delayed treatment may result in permanent brain, kidney, or heart damage, from lack of oxygen (hypoxia)[1].

Loudoun Allergy Network Chairperson, Thanita Glancey, spoke with WTOP reporter, Neal Augenstein about the new law.  Read the full text article here: http://wtop.com/?nid=120&sid=2823354

A copy of the legislation can be found here: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121+ful+SB656ER

[1] MD Guidelines  http://www.mdguidelines.com/anaphylactic-shock