Anaphylaxis        Sunsmart        Party Safe        

The most common allergens in school aged children are:

 peanuts, eggs, tree nuts (eg, cashews), cows milk, fish and shellfish,

 wheat, soy, sesame , latex , certain insect stings and medications. 

Signs and Symptoms

Mild to moderate allergic reaction:

Swelling of lips, face and eyes.

Hives or welts

Abdominal pain  and/or vomiting.  

Anaphylaxis ( a severe allergic reaction)

• Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing
• Swelling of the tongue
• Swelling/tightness in the throat
• Difficulty talking and /or a hoarse voice
• Wheezing or persistent coughing
• Loss of consciousness and/or collapse
• Young children may appear pale and floppy

Symptoms usually develop within 10 minutes to one hour of an allergen but can appear within a few minutes

Prevention:

The key to prevention is the identification of triggers (allergens) and prevention of exposure to these.

Parents and students work with the school in developing  a management plan and to implement strategies to be used to avoid possible exposure to triggers.

Treatment:

Mild to moderate allergic reaction is often treated with an oral antihistamine

Severe/ Anaphylaxis – an injection of  adrenaline is used in the form of an auto injector called an EpiPen or for children  under 20 kg  EpiPen Junior.

These are designed  so that any one can use them in an emergency.

Students usually carry their own and there are others held at the general office of both campuses.

If an EpiPen is required an Ambulance is called and the student’s emergency contact notified. 

Staff are regularly  trained in the management of Anaphylaxis and in the use of an EpiPen. 

For more information :

www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/wellbeing/support/anaphyl.htm

www.allergyfacts.org.au

Heather Daly. Adolescent Health Nurse. Bairnsdale Secondary College.51504800/ 0438 805 429

Be sunsmart over summer

During the next 3 months, even on cloudy days, UV rays exceed level 3 so we all need to observe  preventative measures to avoid harmful sun exposure.

  Slip    on a shirt         

Slop     on sunscreen

Slap     on a hat

Slide      on sunnies

Stay     in the shade and remain hydrated 

Types of Sun Protection may include:

Hat that has a broad brim like our school hats

Sunscreen that has a high SPF rating (30+)

Sunglasses

Rash shirt

Umbrella

Long Board Shorts

T-Shirt with long sleeves or a collar

Beach Tent/ Sun Tent

Wetsuit 

What risk is there from overexposure to the sun..

At least two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime. Our rates are at epidemic levels with over 1500 Australians losing their lives to skin cancer each year.  

Skin cancer and young people

Even though the risk of skin cancer increases as you get older, melanoma is the most diagnosed cancer each year for 15 to 44 year olds. It is alarming that 24% of all cancers in people aged 15-19 are melanomas, the most serious and potentially deadly form of cancer.

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods during which sun exposure is more likely to contribute to skin cancer later in life. High exposure to the sun between the ages of 10 and 24 is a major risk factor for the development of superficially spreading melanomas. It is estimated that practising sun protection in childhood and adolescence could prevent more than 75% of all skin cancers.

Reducing exposure to UV radiation in sunlight during childhood and adolescence is therefore an important strategy for minimising the human A National Binge Drinking Campaign “Don’t Turn a Night out into a Night Mare” is timely looming holiday season to protect our local and visiting young people….

 Alcohol and Party Safe

“Many young Australians are drinking to excess, placing themselves at risk of short and long-term harm. After tobacco, alcohol is the second biggest contributor to drug-related problems in Australia. As well as affecting the individual, risky drinking behaviour has a significant impact on our community. The latest estimates of alcohol related harm show that it causes around 3,200 deaths and 81,000 hospitalisations every year. The annual cost to Australian community of alcohol related social problems was estimated at $15.3 billion in 2004-05”.  

The campaign’s objective is to increase the likelihood that if teenagers and young adults choose to drink alcohol, they don’t drink levels of intoxication that may result in harm to themselves or others.  

How can you helping your peers…

You may be in the situation where you have to look after a friend who has had too much alcohol to drink. They may have got drunk for a number of reasons, including not being familiar with how much alcohol they could handle, feeling pressure to drink a lot, or even because they like the feeling.

 Whatever the reason, when someone is drunk, they may be more likely to get into unsafe situations, and that is where you, as their friends can help.

 How can you know if a friend has had too much to drink?

Alcohol affects people differently. Factors that might influence how alcohol affects you might include your gender, age, body shape, and even your mood. Some people might be able to drink a lot without it affecting them, whereas others might be affected after one drink.  

Signs that your friend has had too much to drink might

Include that he/she:

· Can’t string words together to make a coherent sentence

· Is acting strangely and doing things they would not normally do

· Has a glazy look in their eyes

· Vomit

· Can’t walk straight and keeps bumping into people and objects

· Has passed out  

What can you do to help?

Look out for each other when you go out. If you think your friend might have had too much to drink there are a number of things you can do to help, including:

· Stay with your friend, make sure they are OK.

· Quietly, let your friend know that they are probably drunk, and suggest to them it would be a good idea to stop drinking alcohol, or slow down and to drink some water and eat something. Sometimes the easiest way to encourage your friend to slow down is to get the group to go for something to eat (This can be at one of the groups home if need be [most mums have a tin of baked beans in the cupboard for just such occasions]). That way you are getting your friend to take time out from drinking without having to confront them.

· Make sure your friend gets home OK – for example, by either getting a parent to come and pick them up, taking them home if you have a car and not been drinking or walking them home, or perhaps taking them back to your place.

· Let someone know in the house that they are really drunk and need to have an eye kept on them, or else keep an eye on them yourself.

· If a friend looses consciousness, it is important straight away to roll them on their side and to get help by calling an ambulance on triple zero (000). The way you act then will depend on whether your friend is breathing or not. If not breathing then commence CPR. Check out Ambulance Victoria website for more information on CPR.

Further information and fact sheets may be obtained  from www.reachout.com.au  

Compiled from www.druginfo.adf.org.au