The Importance of Auto Injectors in Schools
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Just image you are back in elementary school out for recess when you get stung by a bee. This is your first time being stung. Your mouth starts swelling up, then your throat starts to swell, making it hard to breath. You know something is wrong. You go find a teacher; they take you inside. They call your parents and 911, but you are getting worse. The school doesn’t have any Epinephrine auto injectors to be able to help you because there is no law that allows the school to have them on hand and be able to use them. When the emergency personnel arrive at the school, you are rushed to the nearest ER to be finally given medicine to help with the allergic reaction. The ER doctor said if you had gone just two minutes longer without this life-saving medicine, you wouldn’t be here anymore.
Now imagine that you receive the medicine within minutes of first noticing the anaphylaxis, a life threatening reaction that includes a hard time breathing and hives, (Anaphylaxis) because the school is required to have Epi-pens stocked at the school. You start feeling relief before your parents or emergency personnel get there. Without getting people the necessary Epinephrine needed to slow or even stop anaphylaxis reaction, people may to die from it. An anaphylaxis reaction includes symptoms of difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, eye, lips or tongue, wheezing, hives, slurred speech and unconsciousness (Anaphylaxis:Medline plus).This is why states need to have in law that it is required to have these types of life saving medicine in schools and that school officials know how to administer it to the student. Without the law, nurses and school officials are not allowed to administer another students’ Epi-pen, because the school does not have written authorization from a parent and note from the doctor allowing it to be administered (Buppert).
For people with severe allergies to food and insect stings, carrying an auto injector is an important part of everyday life. But, some people may not realize that anyone can have a reaction without knowing they are allergic to the food or insect venom. People can also have a reaction to a food that you eat all the time, for these cases is what the laws are aiming to help with. Studies have shown that a quarter of anaphylaxis shock incidents in schools are among students who don’t know they have an allergy (Snyder).
Even if the schools have Epi-Pens on hand, everyone at the school need to be familiar with symptoms of anaphylaxis. We need to have awareness about allergies and what to do when a students starts to have one or more of these symptoms. The longer a kid has been off of a food, when they do have a reaction, it may get worse over time. For example, you may be allergic to something when you notice you get a repetitive rash on your arms whenever you have dairy products. Then once you go off of it for a year and have some cross contamination, when a spoon is used to scoop dairy ice cream and then is used to scoop non-dairy ice cream, your reaction could progress to include wheezing and breathing troubles.
As of February, 2014, 26 states have laws for stocking epinephrine. Of those states five requires it to be in schools. This leaves fourteen states with legislation in the work (Stocking). The Michigan law, which was passed on December 18, 2013, states that all schools must have at least two epinephrine devices stocked at the beginning of each school year, starting with the 2014-2015 school year, as well as making sure that at least two staff members are trained on how to use them (Snyder).
For the schools to be able to afford to have these on hand, the state suggests that schools get donations from private companies or from federal grants. Sometimes schools are able to get coupons from the drug companies to get them either at a deep discount or for free. Money shouldn’t be an obstacle for making schools a safe place for kids to attend.
It is known that one in thirteen kids under the age of 18 have food allergies(Snyder). For them, making sure that they are safe wherever they go is alway their first priority. At schools, this includes bringing your own food for lunch, school trips and parties. For kids with severe allergies, this may also include sitting in a separate designated spot in the lunch room and making sure that all the food brought into your classroom doesn’t include your allergen. This is especially common for kids with peanut and tree nut allergies. But when a student has an allergic reaction without knowing they are allergic to something, it can be a very scary situation for them. The school officials need to know what to do and be able to execute the plan, as it could be life saving. Schools are supposed to be a safe place for students to have a successful educational experience to be able to thrive. These laws will be able to help all kids have a safe school and let parents know that their children will be safe and well taken care of while at school.
Work Cited
"Anaphylaxis: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 30 May 2012. Web. 07 Mar. 2014. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000005.htm
Buppert, Carolyn. "Can I Use Another Student's EpiPen to Save a Child's Life?" Medscape. N.p., 01 May 2013. Web. 07 Mar. 2014. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803235
"Snyder Signs Laws Requiring EpiPens In Schools." Online article. CBS Detroit. WWJ Tv Detroit, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/12/18/snyder-signs-laws-requiring-epipens-in-schools/>.
"STOCKING EPINEPHRINE IN SCHOOLS." Epinephrine in Schools. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://cqrcengage.com/aafa/epinephrine>.