Food allergies are not something that should be taken lightly. They can be life-threatening and difficult to deal with on a daily basis. For those of you who do not know, my oldest daughter has a severe peanut allergy and it has definitely changed aspects of our lives. Things that used to be quick an simple now take longer, we have to do more research before going to public areas that might serve food, and there is just a level of constant anxiety that never goes away.
Now with the Covid-19 pandemic still going strong it got me thinking about the similarities between the outbreak and handling food allergies in regards to society's avoidance measures. The information regarding food allergies in this post are based on my personal experiences and things I have learned having an allergic daughter. I am in no way an expert or doctor; the information here is just my personal knowledge. (View full disclaimer here) With that being said here are a few major similarities that I have noticed with how people handle food allergies and Covid-19.
Wipe EVERYTHING!
With everyone worrying about the virus and germs people and companies have ramped up how clean they keep surfaces. When you go to the grocery store you don't know if the cart your touching has the virus on it. Exposure to the virus, even briefly, could mean you just became infected. The same idea applies to food allergies.
We have to live in constant fear and worry that my daughter could come into contact with the allergen even in seamlessly harmless locations. The person who used that shopping cart before us could have given their child sitting in the seat a peanut-butter sandwich or crackers. Now we all know how clean children are; most of them are not. They could have wiped their fingers all over the cart and not cleaned any of it up. Then I come afterwards placing my child in the same cart and BAM- allergic reaction possibly resulting in administration of an Epi-pen and hospitalization. Therefore people with food allergies have to be constantly vigilant and wipe surfaces down all of the time and not just because of the virus.
You Don't Know Where the Virus or Allergen is Hiding
There have been so many times since my daughter was diagnosed where I have seen the allergen on random objects or places that you wouldn't normally expect. It could be that I am much more aware to it now but it really does seem that just like the virus food allergens could be hiding anywhere.
I have found peanut shells all over my backyard from squirrels, peanuts scattered on a toy shelf at a Target, a jar of peanut-butter poured on a park sidewalk and empty Reeces Cup wrappers used as 'toys' in a child's play kitchen to name a few. The worry is constant and you have to be aware of your surroundings ALL OF THE TIME.
It may seem a little dramatic but I have to do what I need in order to keep my child safe. Everywhere we go I have to really look at my surroundings and try my best to make sure there is nothing that could harm her.
Do Not Share Food
This one seems self explanatory for both Covid and food allergies. You don't know who has the virus and who doesn't so you obviously should not share food or drinks with people. Food allergy suffers ALWAYS have to worry about this one. What many people do not realize is that even if a food doesn't have the allergen directly in it there could still be traces of it from cross-contamination.
If the food was prepared in an area that also had the allergen then it could have some of the particles on it which could still cause anaphylaxis or an allergic reaction. I used to always think anaphylaxis was when the throat closed up and someone couldn't breath but that's not the case. Anaphylaxis is basically an allergic reaction where two major organ systems have some kind of reaction. For my daughter it was her GI tract because she kept vomiting and her Integumentary system (or skin) because she broke out in hives.
Therefore if someone had a peanut butter sandwich, even several hours ago, and they share a drink with my daughter she could still have an allergic reaction.
Social Distancing
I'm sure at this point we are all sick of this one. We long to hug and kiss our loved ones again and have that psychical interaction. You don't know who may be infected with the virus so you keep your distance. For people with food allergies this is also something they have to constantly think about.
FARE is a large organization that stands for 'Food Allergy Research and Education (I am in no way affiliated with this organization, just offering resources). According to their website if a non-allergic person eats a food containing an allergen it can stay in their saliva for several hours afterwards. Therefore if they get too close to an allergic person, share a drink or kiss them it could lead to an allergic reaction. Allergy sufferers have to be aware of this and try to keep their distance, especially if they are unaware of what the other person had for lunch.
Protection
Almost everyone now has face masks, gloves and hand sanitizer to help protect themselves against Covid-19. People with food allergies also have to try their best to be protected as well.
Everywhere I go with my daughter I have to be armed with our Epi-pen case which includes two Epinephrine auto-injectors, a small bottle of Benedryl and sanitizing wipes as well as general first aid supplies. I have to be able to wipe things down that my daughter may touch and have her medicine readily available in case she comes in direct contact with the allergen.
Now the reason for carrying two or more Epi-pens is that sometimes just one is not enough. Epi-pens and Benedryl do not always work but they can help lessen a reaction giving us more time to get to the nearest hospital. Although they are great to have in case of an emergency sometimes they have a faulty mechanism where they do not automatically inject the medicine. Or the allergic person just needs an extra dose to slow down their reaction. Therefore we ALWAYS carry multiple Epi-pens everywhere we go.
In Conclusion
Food allergies and Covid-19 are totally different things but the way our society handles them on a daily basis do have some similarities. People have to wipe surfaces clean, be aware of their surroundings, social distance themselves in some way and take appropriate measures to protect themselves from the virus or allergen.
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