Helen Martin: Learning from Natasha's tragedy about allergy



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Over the years, allergy levels have been making headlines, but they have rarely resulted in a tragedy such as the death of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse.

The teenager bought a ready-to-eat baguette at Heathrow for her flight from London to Nice, unaware that she contained sesame seeds. Her reaction led to a cardiac arrest and she died the same day.

In the 1950s and 1960s, food allergies were rare or at least unusual. Perhaps this was due in part to the fact that the food supply was much smaller before globalization and the "exotic" added to our shopping lists. Yet even traditional larvae are the most common allergies of the 21st century to the present day.

Milk and dairy products, eggs, peanuts, nuts, soy, gluten, fish and shellfish account for 90% of allergies. It is therefore hardly surprising that these ingredients are usually (but not always) in bold on the package.

READ MORE: Helen Martin: What's the cost of shoemakers for the city?

All reactions can not be fatal. And all the allergy claims have not been clinically confirmed. But any disruptive sensitivity increases the demand to clarify any content or potential contamination.

Each of us could be allergic to anything. I am allergic to bananas and, surprisingly, I know others who are allergic to bananas. In my youth, I could not even touch the skin without developing a rash. This has calmed down over the years, but eating banana or even banana extract still causes swelling and constriction of the throat, making breathing difficult.

Once in the office canteen, chicken curry was on the menu, but with no mention of bananas. Fortunately, I saw a piece in the first fork.

I have another food allergy – artificial sweeteners, although I can not specify which ones. This becomes a greater risk now that the sugar content is reduced and sweeteners are much more prevalent.

Recently, I asked for fruit juices at a sports club bar and the only option was a bottle of apple and mango brand. Gradually, I became warmer and warmer, I needed fresh air, nausea and vertigo, then panic appeared. I knew that I needed two liters of water, after which I recovered. That's when I read the ingredients on the bottle, including sweeteners.

It's a reaction that my son inherited. Even as a baby and toddler, he was spitting Calpol if it was the prescribed version with sweeteners rather than sugar. How today, especially with the sugar tax, can we avoid sweeteners?

Make sure the ingredients are listed on packaged foods in stores and demanding the same thing, even for small sandwiches, and the major fast food chains is unavoidable. Service personnel will not necessarily know the content.

In independent restaurants and takeaways, where dishes and recipes can change from day to day, lists are impossible. But chefs must be well informed and responsible for the accuracy of the ingredients if customers report their allergies.

At least four out of ten people have allergies at some point in their lives. A dozen people in the UK die each year from foodborne anaphylaxis and an annual 1500 deaths due to asthma, some of which are caused by a food allergy.

However, only 14 allergens must be declared legally and this list does not include bananas, strawberries and other known, but less common, causes of reaction.

The inclusion of all the ingredients could save lives.

The opposition to the tourism tax is inconvenient

One of the latest horror cuts suggested by council officials is the closure of public toilets that could allow the city to save £ 250,000. We can only hope that councilors will not agree.

As they seem dedicated to tourism, public toilets are certainly a necessity and a "comfort" for visitors. It also does not seem that encouraging those with legs crossed and bursting to leave our doors is a brain wave and that the side streets are flooded with pee and feces. .

READ MORE: Revealed: Edinburgh council's secret plan to eliminate public toilets

I fully support the council's plans for a tourism tax on which they will vote tomorrow despite the ridiculous opposition of the government.

Apparently, this could bring in £ 11 million, which not only eliminates the toilet's downtime, but instead of finding 28 million pounds of cuts for Capital's survival, they need only 16 , 75 million pounds!

Over 60s need scam lessons online

BANK fraudsters accumulate success with a million pounds a day.

For months, callers claiming to belong to BT deal with my defective "broadband". If I am in a good mood, I tell them I do not have broadband. In a bad mood, I tell them "something".

Their goal is to take control of my PC and try to access my bank account. I block calls but they keep changing numbers.

The most successful fraudsters are those who call, send SMS or e-mails under the pretext of being bank employees. A Yorkshire woman fell in love, losing over £ 160,000. Banks has recovered £ 70,000 for her, but she still misses £ 90,000.

In the current culture of digital communication and online banking, too many people are naive enough to think that banks are contacting them that way. Even me (still critical of banks), I begin to think that the credibility of customers is to blame.

In an embarrassing way, the deceived victims are all around my age. It would really help if banks spent more time telling us about scams before age 60 before pushing us into online banking.

In truth, Ruth is a minor figure

How to mystify that Ruth Davidson, the leader of a party so minority in Scotland, is acclaimed as a political celebrity by the English media?

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