Australia: Immunotherapy Trial for Babies With Peanut Allergies Launches

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Facts

• Australia is set to become the first country to offer oral immunotherapy to babies with peanut allergies as part of a free program available to infants under 12 months old with diagnosed peanut allergies.^[1]
• The program will be available to eligible children at ten pediatric hospitals across five Australian states. Patients will receive a regular dosage of peanut powder with the goal of safely building tolerance.^[2]
• The National Allergy Centre of Excellence Director, Kirsten Perrett, said that the treatment has only been available in clinical trials. Children in the program will eventually reach a maintenance dose, which they must maintain for two years before halting treatment for monitoring.^[3]
• About 3% of Australian children develop a peanut allergy before turning one year old, and only 20% outgrow their allergy by adolescence. Nearly 20% of Australians have an allergic disease, and that figure is expected to increase by 70% by 2050.^[4]
• Children will receive individualized dosages of the peanut powder, which could cause mild allergic reactions. The results could range from allowing a child to have peanuts in their diet to reducing the likelihood of a life-threatening allergic reaction.^[1]
• Perrett said that Australia is the 'allergy capital of the world,' and was looking to shift its allergy strategy away from total avoidance. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that the evidence now supports introducing peanuts to children at a young age.^[2]

Sources: ^[1]BBC News, ^[2]CNN, ^[3]Abc and ^[4]CNA.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Arizona Republic. This is a program that could change the lives of countless children and is a win for children's health. The evidence is becoming clear that the early introduction of allergenic foods, such as peanuts, is the best way to prevent the onset of serious allergies. Keeping kids in metaphoric bubble wrap and quarantining them from allergens may have done more harm than good.
• Narrative B, as provided by Time. While scientists and governments are eager to embrace this treatment as the antidote to peanut allergies, many studies suggest that it may not be effective. Exposure to peanuts in some form could decrease the chance of developing a severe allergy, however, a child as young as six months old could already have an allergy. And additional studies suggest that there's no effective treatment post-diagnosis.

Predictions