New allergy law aims to protect students

A new law encourages schools to carry medication to protect those with food allergies.

In November 2013, President Barack Obama signed a new bill into law, the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act. The proposal took two years to make it through both houses of Congress, but a majority vote was able to be reached near the end of their last term. The aim of the law is to protect children who suffer from food allergies and risk being exposed to allergens from the food their classmates are consuming. The law is scheduled to take full effect at the beginning of this year.

The bill initially came around after two children in the state of Virginia ingested peanuts at school and died after the subsequent allergy attack. The school did not have adequate medication to prevent the anaphylactic shock the students experienced. As a result, the new law encourages schools to keep EpiPens on hand with school officials, even if they are not prescribed to a specific student. Many children are unaware that they even have allergies. According to physician Dr. Timothy Howard, 25 percent of food allergies are discovered while a child is in school. Having access to this medicine could save lives.

The new law does not require schools to carry epinephrine, but instead offers financial incentives. Schools that carry the medicine and allow trained administrators to give it will receive preference from the federal government when it gives out children asthma treatment grants. Only four states currently require schools to have allergy medication on hand, but Congress and the president believe this law will greatly increase this number.

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