Babies exposed to peanuts less likely to be allergic years later, study says
Washington PostMAY 14 2024
Australia is set to be become the first country to offer oral immunotherapy (OIT) to babies with peanut allergies as part of a free program for children diagnosed with the allergy under 12 months of age.
The ADAPT OIT program will be available for eligible children at ten pediatric hospitals across the country. Patients will receive a regular dosage of peanut powder, with the hopes of inducing a tolerance to peanuts in the children.
Director of the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE) Kirsten Perrett says that OIT has never been available outside of clinical trials in the country. Children in the program will eventually reach a maintenance dose of peanuts, which they must maintain for two years before halting treatment to see if it has been effective.
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 early introduction of allergenic foods, such as peanuts, is the best way of preventing the onset of serious allergies. Keeping kids in bubble wrap and totally quarantining them from allergens may have done more harm than good.
We need to get to the root causes of the allergy epidemic worldwide. In Australia and elsewhere, allergies are exploding in prevalence, and OIT can only stem the tide for one particular ailment. We need to examine the chemicals that pollute our everyday lives and excise those which have been connected to allergies, such as omnipresent "forever chemicals."