Talking Allergies

May
Month
Celiac Awareness Month
Cystic Fibrosis Month
Food Allergy Awareness Month
Foot Health Awareness Month
Hepatitis Awareness Month
Huntington's Disease Awareness Month
Medic Alert Month
Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
National Physiotherapy Month
Speech and Hearing Awareness Month
Week
* 1-7 National Summer Safety Week
1-7 Emergency Preparedness Week
1-7 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week
1-7 National Hospice Palliative Care Week
1-7 National Mental Health Week
1-7 Spinal Health Week
9-15 Naturopathic Medicine Week
9-15 National Nursing Week
24-27 Aboriginal Awareness Week
May 30 - June 5 Safe Kids Week
Day
1 Annual Hike for Hospice Palliative Care
3 World Asthma Day
* 8 World Red Cross Day
* 10 WHO, Move for Health Day
* 12 International Nursing Day
* 12 Canada Health Day
* 12 Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome National Awareness Day
* 17 International Day Against Homophobia
19 World Hepatitis Day
* 28 National Multiple Births Awareness Day
* 31 World No-Tobacco Day

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – “Input from local people helped make these changes happen,” stated Cheryl Gallant, MP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, in referring to the announced regulations to strengthen Canada’s labelling of food allergens and gluten sources. “Through information mailers that I send out from my office on a regular basis and a public information session that was held, I let our Minister of Health know how important it was to local residents for our government to show leadership on this issue.”

“For families who have a loved one who suffers from an acute allergy, every day is a challenge. This is especially the case for children, who can be tempted to eat something, many times unknowingly, that could be life threatening. It was my privilege last year to seek and receive unanimous consent from all Members of the House of Commons to declare May as Food Allergy Awareness Month in Canada.

I'm glad you posted this. I had thought I'd heard that May was Food Allergy Awareness month (on this forum) but cannot find any info when I did a google search. Is it just for Alberta? Is it all allergy or Food allergy. Just want to get my facts straight.

I have thought of but have not yet done:
(1) Walking door-to-door in my own neighbourhood and passing out flyers that show how to administer an epipen and recognize anaphylaxis (FAST)
(2) asking local businesses to post same info/flyer on staff or public bulletin boards
(3) sending blanket email to all my contacts with this info and asking them to send to their contacts
(4) posting to my FB status

I wonder if these actions are better suited to Anaphylaxis Awareness month in September which is national?

I am looking for ways to get more involved to channel some of the energy I waste on sleepless nights (literally) worrying about my son and his allergy. So far all I have done is post to FB: (1) link to how to administer an epipen video and (2) info when the labeling law was passed and listed the top allergens.

Alberta
Thursday, May 5

Executive Director, Bob Rogers, meets with the Alberta Minister of Health, Gene Zwozdesky http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.asp ... rnumber=37 . The province of Alberta Community Spirit Grant cheque is presented to Bob by the Minister at 10 am in Room 210 of the Legislature Building. This cheque will enable the Society to hold information seminars in Alberta in the coming fall in cooperation with local Primary Care Networks.

MacDonald put forth motion 504 "Be it resolved that the Legislative Assembly urge the government

to introduce legislation requiring all school boards to

establish and maintain an anaphylactic policy that includes

strategies to reduce exposure to anaphylactic causative agents,

information on life-threatening allergies, annual first aid

training on dealing with life-threatening allergies, and a

requirement for every school principal to develop a plan for

each pupil affected by an anaphylactic allergy, including the

maintenance of a file for each anaphylactic pupil."

It lost with totals: For – 9 Against – 23
23 against basic strategies to keep students safe!

For the motion:Anderson, Hayden, MacDonald, Calahasen, Horner, Pastoor, Chase, Lindsay and Taft.
Against the motion:Amery, Fritz, McFarland, Bhullar, Horne, Olson, Campbell, Jablonski, Prins,Dallas, Jacobs, Quest, Danyluk, Knight, Rodney, Denis, Leskiw, VanderBurg, Doerksen, Lukaszuk, Vandermeer, Elniski and Marz.

http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_f ... 01_han.pdf

Anaphylaxis: Are you ready?
By ########Alberta Health Services
Posted 1 month ago
In Alberta, about 66,000 Albertans have a life-threatening allergy.

http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/Artic ... ?e=2848219
http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/Artic ... ?e=2848219
Quote:
In response to parental concerns, Grande Prairie's public schools are adopting a new policy to protect students and staff with severe allergic reactions.

I wonder who these parents are, and how many, and on and on......this is not right....something is very very wrong here in Alberta. I think I am going to talk to that reporter....maybe he would do a follow up since May is just around the corner.