“Lights, camera, allergy action plan!”

Blue Wiggle leads “back to school” allergy awareness campaign

( Below) Anthony Field known as the "Blue Wiggle" with his son Antonio
and Maria Said President of Anaphylaxis Australia.

Embargoed Monday 9th January 2012: Getting children ready for school or preschool is always a challenging task for parents. So can you imagine the added stress of preparing a child who has severe allergies?

Anthony Field, internationally recognised as the “Blue Wiggle”, will be taking extra precautions to help his son Antonio – who has severe food allergies – back to preschool in 2012.

With Antonio being at high risk of anaphylaxis – the most severe form of allergic reaction that can be fatal – the Blue Wiggle is urging all affected families to work on an Allergy Healthcare Plan with schools and preschools. He’s also encouraging those parents who are concerned that their child might be at risk to talk to a healthcare professional about formal diagnosis and ongoing management by an allergy specialist and paediatrician.

He says being aware of allergies is an important part of back to school preparations. 

“We know Antonio is eager and excited to go back to preschool, so we are pretty focused on making sure we are preparing ourselves in advance, speaking to his preschool about his allergies and providing an updated Action Plan which details how the school should respond, if he has a reaction,” said Mr Field.

“Anyone who has experienced or seen first-hand someone having an anaphylactic reaction would know that it is an incredibly frightening experience. The most important thing for us is to make sure Antonio’s carers are aware of his allergies, aware of the triggers, ensuring they are familiar with his adrenaline auto-injector and know how to use it. This is the one thing that can save his life in an anaphylactic situation so it is imperative that the school staff know how and when to use it,” said Mr Field.

Maria Said, President of Anaphylaxis Australia Inc., says having an open dialogue with your children’s teachers or carers about severe allergies is an important first step before the school year starts.

“Parents should feel they can approach their children’s teachers and have the opportunity to discuss severe allergy management. It’s wonderful to see that there are more and more allergy aware schools in Australia, but the reality is that we, including schools and preschools, can never totally remove the risk of a reaction; we must always be prepared for an allergic reaction and have children in the care of staff who are trained in dealing with anaphylaxis.


Be clear on what the school’s protocol is for allergy management. Meet with school staff and work on an individual Allergy Healthcare Plan and make sure you are sending your child to school well prepared and with their updated ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (http://www.allergy.org.au/) and their adrenaline auto-injector.”

Mr Field also encourages parents of young children to speak to their doctor about anaphylaxis risk so they start school or preschool understanding more about severe allergy management.

“It’s amazing to see how many Australian children have severe allergies that can lead to anaphylaxis. Food allergies are definitely on the increase in Australia so it’s important that parents who have young children speak to their doctor about allergies and anaphylaxis,” said Mr Field.

“You may have a child who is at risk who has simply not been diagnosed yet.”

Anaphylaxis Australia publishes a number of information sheets for people affected by allergies. Links to anaphylaxis guidelines for schools and children’s services across Australia are available at www.allergyfacts.org.au 

More information about allergy management and schooling can be found at http://www.allergyfacts.org.au/caring-for-those-at-risk/schools


Note: Not all children with allergies need to be prescribed an adrenaline auto injector. Some children have an Action Plan for allergic reactions and this guides carers on management when no adrenaline auto injector is prescribed.