Australia: Immunotherapy Trial for Babies With Peanut Allergies Launches
The Facts
Australia is set to become the first country to offer oral immunotherapy to babies with peanut allergies as part of a free program available to infants under 12 months old with diagnosed peanut allergies.
The program will be available to eligible children at ten pediatric hospitals across five Australian states. Patients will receive a regular dosage of peanut powder with the goal of safely building tolerance.
The Spin
Narrative A
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 the early introduction of allergenic foods, such as peanuts, is the best way to prevent the onset of serious allergies. Keeping kids in metaphoric bubble wrap and quarantining them from allergens may have done more harm than good.
Narrative B
While scientists and governments are eager to embrace this treatment as the antidote to peanut allergies, many studies suggest that it may not be effective. Exposure to peanuts in some form could decrease the chance of developing a severe allergy, however, a child as young as six months old could already have an allergy. And additional studies suggest that there's no effective treatment post-diagnosis.
