7-year old girl dies at school of peanut allergy

A 7-year old girl died on Monday from a suspected peanut allergy at school. First grader Ammaria Johnson broke out in hives and complained of shortness of breath at recess. Approximately 8% of children have some sort of food allergy.

If a child's allergy is life threatening, it is imperative that the school is aware and is prepared. Shawn Smith, a spokesman for the Chesterfield County school district, said administrators do have guidelines for treating students with severe allergies and details of those guidelines were sent to parents last year. Parents should provide any prescribed medication to the schools, along with a one page form authorizing them to administer it in the event of an emergency.

A common treatment is an epinephrine injector which must be prescribed by a doctor. The school had no such device for Ammaria, and her death remains under investigation.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/04/health/virginia-allergy-death/index.html?hpt=he_c2

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