Food Allergy Awareness: Insights from Avarie’s Tragedy in Rome

In a heartfelt segment on The Podcast by KevinMD, patient advocate Lianne Mandelbaum brings to light the significant deficiencies in food allergy awareness following the heartbreaking passing of Avarie, a young American with a tree nut allergy who succumbed to anaphylaxis in Rome. Although Avarie alerted the restaurant about her allergy, she was mistakenly served pesto that contained cashew. Even with three epinephrine autoinjectors on hand, her initial dose proved ineffective, and the ambulance lacked the necessary medication.

Mandelbaum stresses the critical necessity for thorough, lifelong food allergy education. This education should encompass skills such as safe food ordering, self-advocacy, and emergency response procedures. She criticizes the societal minimization of food allergies and calls for extensive education targeting patients, families, educational institutions, and the hospitality sector.

A call to action is issued for first responders to receive proper training and be adequately equipped. Mandelbaum compares the use of epinephrine to CPR, championing for the normalization and availability of epinephrine to avert preventable fatalities. The discussion underscores the importance of both personal vigilance and systemic enhancements as essential elements in improving the safety and well-being of individuals with food allergies.