Demelza Donnellan
Allergy Action Ireland
With food allergies rising in Ireland, school staff need mandatory training in allergy emergency care and treatment to help protect at-risk children from life-threatening anaphylaxis.
If you saw someone in anaphylactic shock, would you know what to do? Because your response could save their life, insists Demelza Donnellan from Allergy Action Ireland.
Teachers and public unaware of allergic reaction management
Worryingly, many of us wouldn’t know, including the majority of teachers. According to a 2024 study from the University of Galway, 80% of teachers and special needs assistants in primary schools were not trained to recognise the signs of a severe allergic reaction, and 77% were not trained to administer an adrenaline auto-injector.*
Allergy Action Ireland, a voluntary parent-led advocacy group, is calling on the Irish Government to introduce national policies that formally recognise allergies as a public health issue. According to Allergy Action Ireland, it’s a growing problem with an estimated 160,000 people (1%–2% of adults and 5%–6% of children) living with food allergies. “There needs to be more public awareness of serious allergies and the treatment for anaphylaxis**,” says Donnellan.
Access to emergency medical treatment in educational settings
Donnellan, a nurse by profession, deals with this reality daily because her two teenage sons are severely allergic to (different) multiple foods, including nuts, eggs, fish, peas, lentils, chickpeas and dairy. As interaction with these ingredients can be life-threatening, she writes care plans for their school to follow. She says: “There are things my sons can’t do in life because of their allergies.”
Allergy Action Ireland wants people with severe allergies to have greater access to Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) and other treatments. With OIT, patients receive supervised doses of food they are allergic to, enabling them to build tolerance to foods that can trigger serious allergic reactions. The group also calls for better access to emergency medical treatment in public settings, a standardised approach to clinical support and mandatory training in educational and childcare settings. The Education (Medical Emergencies in Schools) Bill 2026, if enacted into law,will support enhanced allergy care in schools. However, it is still in the legislative process.
There are things my sons can’t do in life because of their allergies
Donnellan’s goes into her own children’s schools on a voluntary basis to inform staff about the dangers of serious allergies. “In one Q&A session, I was asked: ‘What happens if I don’t administer an auto-injector to a child in anaphylaxis?’,” she remembers. “My answer: ‘Then you will watch that child die in front of you.’ Everyone’s jaw dropped, but it’s that serious. Knowing what to do will save lives.”
This article has been sponsored by Viatris. Viatris has provided funding support only and has had no input into the content of this piece.
*Reference to Galway study available on request.
**Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, requiring immediate medical treatment.
