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Allergy emergencies double in recent years in EnglandDangerous allergic reactions are rising in England and now cause so...
07/08/2023

Allergy emergencies double in recent years in England

Dangerous allergic reactions are rising in England and now cause some 25,000 NHS hospital stays a year, data shows.
Health officials say the rate has more than doubled over 20 years, prompting them to issue advice reminding people how to recognise allergies and respond.
For severe food-related allergic reactions, the rise in admissions is even greater.
Provisional figures show admissions rose from under 2,000 twenty years ago to more than 5,000 in 2022/23.
The data, gathered by the NHS and analysed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, does not include people who visited outpatient or Accident and Emergency departments with allergies and were discharged without requiring a hospital stay.
The figures suggest anaphylaxis is on the increase, though some of the rise could be attributed to the growth in population.
Anaphylaxis can be fatal and develop suddenly at any age.
People who know they are at risk should always carry two adrenaline pens which they, or someone else, can administer in an emergency.
In addition, people at risk of an anaphylactic reaction should regularly check the contents of their adrenaline pens have not expired. They should see a pharmacist to get a new one if a pen is close to expiring.
How to treat an allergic reaction
Knowing what to do could mean the difference between life and death.
Signs of a severe allergic reaction, also known as anaphylaxis, include:
swelling in the throat or tongue
wheezing
breathing difficulties
dizziness
tiredness
confusion
If in doubt, use the adrenaline pen - sometimes called an Epipen or an adrenaline auto-injector - without delay, injecting into the outer thigh.
Call 999 for help - say it is for anaphylaxis, pronounced "ana-fill-axis".
Stay where you are and lie the affected person down flat, raising their legs to help blood flow back to the heart and vital organs.
If they are struggling to breathe, they may need to be propped up a bit, but this should be for as short a time as possible.
Use the second adrenaline pen if there is no improvement after five minutes and help has not yet arrived.
Do not stand up, or sit in a chair, even if you are feeling better. This could lower your blood pressure drastically, causing your heart to stop.
Source: NHS and Anaphylaxis UK
Laura Squire, MHRA Chief Officer for Healthcare Quality and Access, said: "These figures highlight just how serious the consequences of allergies can be, and the rising numbers of hospitalisations highlights the need to know how to act in an emergency.
"Knowing how to use an adrenaline auto-injector and what to do afterwards is crucial when responding in an emergency, whether you're having the reaction yourself, or helping someone else.
"Anaphylaxis is scary for everyone involved, and when it strikes, it's not easy to remember what the right steps are. That's why we want to encourage everyone to download our guidance now so they can be confident they're doing the right thing if they're ever in that situation."
MHRA guidance on how to use an adrenaline pen
What to do for an allergy emergency
Why food allergies are on the rise
The habits that help prevent allergies
What is an allergy and how might the body react?
An allergy is the response of the body's immune system to normally harmless substances such as pollen, certain foods or dust mites.
Whilst in most people these substances pose no problem, in allergic individuals their immune system identifies the substances as a "threat" and produces an inappropriate response.
The response can be relatively minor, such as localised itching. However, in more severe cases it can cause anaphylaxis - a condition which can lead to upper respiratory obstruction (airways becoming blocked) causing a person to collapse.
In such circumstances, anaphylaxis can be fatal.
Allergies are very common. They are thought to affect more than one in four people in the UK at some point in their lives, according to Allergy UK. They are particularly common in children. Some allergies go away as a child gets older, although many are lifelong.
The most common causes of dangerous allergic reactions include:
certain foods, such as peanuts, tree nuts or shellfish
insect stings
certain drugs and contrast agents used in some x-ray tests

ACTIVISTS STAND GUARD TO STOP BALD EAGLES’ HOMES FROM BEING CHOPPED DOWNA bald eagle pair nesting in a tall, mighty tree...
04/08/2023

ACTIVISTS STAND GUARD TO STOP BALD EAGLES’ HOMES FROM BEING CHOPPED DOWN

A bald eagle pair nesting in a tall, mighty tree almost lost their home to a power company. Thankfully, tribal leaders and environmental activists refused to let that happen.

The 120 foot ponderosa pine in Northern California had provided the perfect nesting site for years. But Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), a large utility company based in Oakland, argued that the tree was in a wildfire-prone area and could lead to a disaster if the tree fell into the company’s nearby power lines.

But bald eagles, the prominent symbol of the United States, receive protections under Californian and federal laws. The only way PG&E could take down the tree was proving that the nest was no longer in use.

When PG&E obtained a permit to chop down the tree, and chopping crews showed up on Jan. 9 — ironically, the day before National Save the Eagles Day — tribal leaders and environmentalists stepped in to do some lifesaving birdwatching.

The activists and environmentalists knew that every year, the dedicated eagle parents returned to the pine tree to improve their nest and provide a safe space for nestlings to hatch. They approached the tree’s area equipped with binoculars and cell phones and stayed until they caught sight of the majestic bald eagles returning home.

Because of the proof that the nest site was still active, the power company backed down, according to news reports. While activists applauded that development, the situation left them pondering some unsavory questions.

“PG&E says that the tree is dangerous, it’s a hazard – but that’s not right,” said Naomi Wagner, a local activist with the environmental group Earth First! “It’s their lines that are the hazard. So why is it the tree that needs to go?”

The birds are culturally important to local Indigenous tribes, who alleged the power company and the government hadn’t given them adequate notice of the plans to cut down the tree. After centuries of neglect, ridicule, and harmful policies and practices, ancestral tribes are all too used to the feeling.

“To the settlers, whatever or whoever was in the way of doing business, they’d just cut down,” asserted Priscilla Hunter, former chair of the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians. “That’s what these eagles reminded me of.”

Polly Girvin, an environmental and Indigenous rights activist, also alleged to news that chopping down the tree was “the fast and easy route” — not the right one.

The property owner of where the famous pine stands agrees with the activists, and other residents in the area, that alternatives to chopping down the tree should be prioritized, including rerouting or removing the power line and setting up a solar microgrid, according to news reports.

PG&E also has advertised plans to bury other electric lines in the region to prevent potentially dangerous contact with trees.

Lady Freethinker applauds the compassionate actions of activists and tribal leaders across California and beyond whose caring actions mean these precious birds get to return to their seasonal home for another year, and hopefully for longer than that.

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