September 8, 2016 8:00pm

A study of more than 550,000 pupils from 1500 schools has found the number prescribed with epipens rose from 5269 in 2009 to 7805 in 2014: an increase from 0.98 per cent to 1.38 per cent.

Despite this rise, the rate at which epipens are being used has remained steady.

One of the study’s researchers, Professor Katie Allen, said yesterday this was likely to be due to “people getting better at avoiding allergens”.

The study, reported in the latest Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, follows a recent finding that Victoria is the world’s food allergy capital.

MELBOURNE TOP OF TABLE FOR FOOD ALLERGIES

Prof Allen, director of the Centre for Food and Allergy Research at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, said the increase in anaphylaxis risk was associated with an increase in all food allergies over the last 20 to 30 years.

“There is a tide coming through, and this is the age group leading the epidemic,” she said.

Prof Allen said blanket food bans at school could never be adequately policed, but bans on food sharing were vital.

“Children who have allergies should only eat the food they can eat, and should not share food with others.”

The study shows that epipens are more likely to be used in secondary schools than in primary schools.

Researchers attributed this to “less vigilance in allergen avoidance, decreased parental supervision and increased risk-taking activities”.

The study also found a fall in anaphylaxis risk in secondary school pupils.

But researchers attributed this more to a change in parental reporting, saying: “This is a matter of concern, because it possibly reflects under-reporting of risk and may result in increased risk-taking.”

Prof Allen said the increase in anaphylaxis risk could not simply be put down to an overprescription of epipens.

“Fifteen or 20 years ago everyone with food allergies would get an epipen, but now there are new and very clear guidelines,” she said.

Maria Said, the president of Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia, said the results were not all that surprising.

“We know that one in ten babies are diagnosed with food allergies and 3 per cent of them have peanut allergies, which are lifelong,” she said.

“So it’s to be expected that there is an increase in the anaphylaxis risk rate in schools.”

Ms Said said it was heartening that students appeared to be managing their allergies successfully.

“Teachers have much better awareness and there is much better access to information,” Ms Said said.

Anaphylaxis as you can see form this article is becoming more and more of a concern so make sure that you are up to date with your first aid training. All school teachers and childcare assistants should be first aid trained on a regular basis so that they are ready for any emergency that may occur. Not only will you receive training in the use of epipens but in asthma, cpr and many more components of first aid. Get trained to with Canberra First Aid.

September 7, 2016 9:25pm

Respiratory physicians say the findings published on Thursday in theCochrane Library should prompt asthmatics to get their vitamin D level tested, to improve management of the condition.

Cochrane researchers made their findings based on reviews of seven trials involving more than 400 children, and two studies of almost 700 adults.

They found the supplement reduced the risk of a severe asthma attack needing a hospital visit from 6 to 3 per cent, and also reduced the rate of attacks requiring steroidal treatment.

Professorial Fellow at the University of Tasmania and Cochrane author Professor Haydn Walters said there was evidence vitamin D was beneficial, not just for allergies but also for inflammation type conditions such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

“What we need to know more of is what levels of vitamin D are beneficial,” Prof Walters said.

“For anybody that is vulnerable to these diseases, they have a family history or a history of hay fever, they should know what their vitamin D level is and if it’s not in the top half of the normal range, then they should take vitamin D on a regular basis.”

An interesting theory into asthma medication and prevention. Get out and enjoy the sun but make sure you slip slop ad slap. Learn more about asthma and the treatment of an asthma attack by doing a first aid course in Canberra with us at Canberra First Aid. We will teach you about not only asthma bu anaphylaxis, how to stop bleeding, how to do slings and much much more so book in to one of our first aid courses now.

MYLEENE KLASS opens up about the importance of first aid training at this year’s St John Ambulance Everyday Heroes Awards.

The long summer holiday is over – it’s time to head back to school. What’s the most important thing you think pupils will learn this year?

Perhaps they will conquer equations, master French, or triumphantly learn the periodic table off by heart.

But what if they learnt how to save a life?

ANMOL’S STORY

When 16-year-old Anmol saw an elderly man collapse in a shopping centre car park, she stopped to help.

The teenager calmly observed the situation, called 999 and stayed with the man, providing reassurance until the emergency services arrived.

“I was surprised no one else was willing to stop,” she said.

“People should help each other.”

Anmol knew what to do because she had recently learnt first aid at her school. But first aid is not a statutory part of the school curriculum.

The British Red Cross believes educating young people in first aid is important – and we’re not the only ones.

An overwhelming 95 per cent of parents, 84 per cent of teachers and 97 per cent of pupils want it to be part of the curriculum, too.

That’s why we are calling for first aid to be taught in schools.

But we also provide an array of resources to help schools and anyone working with young people. Together we can make sure that young people don’t miss out on these life-saving skills.

And it’s thanks to these resources that Anmol’s school – Seven Kings School in east London – was able to teach its students first aid.

ADDING FIRST AID TO THE TIMETABLE

Seven Kings School wanted to develop a new learning module for their sixth form students. So they asked young people to share their ideas.

Following a survey, it became clear that first aid was a popular choice.

The then co-ordinator of sixth form citizenship, Christina Servante, set out to incorporate first aid into the school’s enrichment programme.

But where could she get first aid information from?

Fortunately, Christina came across our First aid learning for young people website where we provide a host of free resources to support educators – from teachers to club leaders.

A group of young people learning first aid.

“I found the resources really useful and easy to use,” Christina said.

“I could follow step-by-step instructions for each first aid skill. I also loved how the videos, quizzes and suggested activities led to interactive and engaging sessions.”

ANMOL PUTS HER LEARNING INTO ACTION

But what really got the pupils talking was an activity about the bystander effect.

They explored the qualities that motivate and enable someone to stop and help a person in distress – and just weeks after the session, Anmol overcame the bystander effect to help that elderly man.

Christina is immensely proud of her student and has found teaching first aid a really rewarding experience.

“Our young people have the potential to be caring and proactive citizens, they just need to be taught the skills to give them the confidence,” she said.

Anmol agreed: “I think all students should have the opportunity to learn first aid skills, especially in the sixth form when we are about to embark on new experiences such as further education or work.”

“It’s been a really enjoyable experience for both teachers and students,” Christina added.

“There’s a real buzz in the classroom when first aid is taught – with lots of participation. I would encourage other schools to go for it.”

Please note that this article was taken from the UK and that the phone number to dial fro Emergency Services in Australia is 000 and not 999.

What an interesting read on the bystander affect and also how schools can start to introduce first aid courses into the curriculum at their school. It is essential that schools start to take up the first aid challenge by either getting companies like Canberra First Aid Courses in to help train or by becoming qualified themselves. If you want to learn more about first aid then book in to a first aid course with Canberra first aid in teh near future. We have cheap, fun and great first aid courses held in Canberra every week.

First Aid in Canberra with Canberra First Aid will makes you not need to take the instructions over the phone because you will have excellent first aid skills and knowledge when you leave the day long training session.

Boy, 9, revives his brother who fell into swimming pool on first-aid instructions over phone. He followed first-aid instructions over the phone

Berlin: German authorities are lauding a 9-year-old boy as a hero after he followed first-aid instructions over the phone and revived his 2-year-old brother who had fallen into a swimming pool.

Kassel police say the toddler, Rudolf, was briefly left by his grandmother in the living room Saturday as she went to the bathroom to get a fresh diaper, and he ran outside and fell into the pool.

The older brother, Markus, pulled the motionless body from the pool and called for help because his grandmother understands little German.

When rescue crews arrived, Markus already had his brother’s breathing restored. Rudolf received hospital treatment and is out of danger.

Police said Monday they had no further details. Only first names are provided under German privacy laws.

Make sure you get into a first aid course in Canberra as soon as possible, this week we have a limited amount of positions going at the discounted rate of $100. So book in now for the cheapest rate of all first aid courses in Canberra.

Half of people surveyed said they would not attempt first aid if they stumbled across an accident or injured person.

By Enda Brady, Sky News Correspondent

Nearly six out of every 10 deaths from injury could be prevented if the British public knew even the most basic first aid, new research has revealed.

A study by the University of Manchester found that 93% of people would call 999 if they stumbled across an accident or an injured person.

But first aid intervention was more infrequent – with around half of people saying they would not attempt any while waiting for emergency services to arrive.

Joe Mulligan from the British Red Cross, which commissioned the research, said: “The good news is that most people are calling 999.

Half of people surveyed by the University of Manchester would not attempt first aid if they came across an injured person

“But after calling 999 we want people to then do something in those crucial minutes before the ambulance arrives, every person needs to recognise that in an emergency, you are part of the ‘chain of survival’.

“Sadly in the majority of deaths we looked at, the simplest intervention could have helped keep someone alive until they got to hospital.

“For example something as simple as turning someone on their side and tilting their head back to keep their airway open – could be all it takes to make that difference between life and death in certain situations.”

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has called for more opportunities for people to learn first aid, starting in school, but also through the driving test and public health initiatives.

It said: “Opening the airway by turning the unconscious person on their side and reducing blood loss by pushing hard on the site of the bleeding can buy precious minutes until help arrives.

“These two simple actions are the very same that a trained doctor or paramedic would perform. Minutes really count – so these actions save lives.”

Please note this article was taken from the UK where the emergency services number is 999. Here in Australia please call 000 for emergency services.

Its scary to think that this many people would not attempt first aid in a country with so many people. Here in Australia we haven’t seen the statistics but I would hope that more people would help in a first aid situation. Make sure you are prepared for the worst by completing a first aid course in Canberra with Canberra First Aid. Our first aid courses are fun, fast and effective teaching you all the skills that will help save a life. So book in today for a first aid course in Canberra.

A working knowledge of first-aid can empower you to save lives.

In the summer of 2010, A.N. Venkatesh, senior consultant and head of department, emergency services, at the Apollo Hospital in Bengaluru, was taking swimming lessons when he sensed panic and unrest around him. Instructors had pulled an unconscious student out of the 17m-deep pool, and no one knew how long he had been under water.

“I elbowed my way through the crowd, introduced myself as a doctor and tried to resuscitate him,” says Dr Venkatesh. “The crowd had already wasted precious seconds milling around and pressing down on his tummy—a useless technique to revive a drowning person,” he says.

The young man died. Dr Venkatesh rues the fact that there was absolutely no first-aid equipment at hand. “In the case of drowning, oxygen supply to the brain is cut off. If such a condition exceeds 4-5 minutes, it can result in irreversible brain damage,” he says.

What could have helped save the young man’s life was a simple machine called Automated External Defibrillator (AED). “An AED is a portable electronic device that administers a small electric pulse that helps revive the rhythm of the heart and restores blood circulation. Anyone can operate it. It’s a simple push-button device that needs to be placed over the chest to be activated. If someone had been more alert at the pool that day and an AED was available, it could have helped us save a life,” says Dr Venkatesh.

CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, can be used on a drowning victim if he or she is pulled out of the water immediately. If the time submerged under water exceeds 5-7 minutes, CPR will not revive the victim. In such a case, an AED might help. The device can also help those with sudden cardiac arrest.

While AEDs can be purchased easily on online portals like Amazon and eBay, they can cost up to Rs.25,000, making them an expensive proposition for individuals. Placing an AED in public spaces like swimming pools, shopping centres, schools and corporate offices, as is done abroad, should be made mandatory, believes Dr Venkatesh.

There’s no denying that greater education in, and awareness about, first-aid is needed in India. “In 1992, during the stampede that occurred at Mahamaham, a religious festival in Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, it was reported that 40 people were killed. What wasn’t reported was that our trained field workers were able to save 13 lives that day,” says K.J. Suryanarayanan, 52, a first-aid and basic life support trainer at Chennai’s St John Ambulance, the first-aid education and training wing of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), with multiple centres in every state.

The good news is that it is possible for people of all ages to get first-aid training, regardless of where they live or their educational qualifications.

Help at hand

Even if you don’t have any medical or science background, you can take one of two courses in first-aid, depending on your needs. The first is a basic first-aid course, also referred to as the Emergency First Responder course. This will equip you with the essential life skills required to respond quickly to medical emergencies. The second is an advanced first-aid course, which will help you survive under harsh conditions in the wild. The former is far more commonly offered and would be sufficient for most.

A basic first-aid course involves CPR training and use of an AED device, and dealing effectively with emergency medical situations, including suffocation, head injury, stroke, wounds, bleeding, fracture, muscular and joint injury, burns, heart attack, snake and scorpion bites, allergic reactions, heat stroke and diabetic emergencies.

“Usually conducted over two days, you will learn life-saving techniques (in the basic course), such as CPR, how to use a defibrillator device, and the basics of first- aid (dressing cuts, scrapes, wounds and fractures). It also teaches you how to identify an unconscious person, how to check if the neck has a pulse, treat snake and scorpion bites, and what to do to resuscitate people in different circumstances, ranging from choking accidents to household fires,” says G. Rajesh, supervisor (disaster management), at the IRCS in Chennai.

Deepak Mudaliar, a 31-year-old physiotherapist based in Chennai, attended first-aid classes offered by St John Ambulance in his city in 2005. “We were given a mannequin with a deflated lung and were taught resuscitation techniques. We practised by blowing air into it,” he says. “Proper hand placement while giving chest compressions is important. These are things that you need practical training for.”

If you have an ailing parent or a young child at home and find yourself in the role of a caregiver often, a basic first-aid course can come in handy.

Swapna Kishore, 59, runs Dementiacarenotes.in, a website for caregivers of dementia patients. Kishore took a basic first-aid course in December 2008 while caring for her mother, who suffered from dementia. “I did the course to confirm what I already knew about first-aid and to make sure I had retained a grasp of key skills,” she says. “I considered it necessary because I was caring for my mother, who was becoming increasingly dependent and immobile. The practical training and demonstrations in the course helped a great deal. We were given a booklet at the end and a card with information on CPR techniques.”

Kishore advises family members and caregivers to attend a course at least once and to keep first-aid books and supplies handy at all times.

“If you have elderly parents or young children, the basic first-aid course will be extremely beneficial,” says Suryanarayanan. “You may be confronted with day-to-day challenges and emergencies such as choking, nose bleeds and convulsions. The basic first-aid course will help you face any traumatic situation more effectively and with a greater sense of confidence.”

Advanced knowledge

If you are someone who likes to trek or camp outdoors, often in harsh, demanding conditions, consider an advanced wilderness first-aid course. It usually includes a written test and provides information on how to survive in harsh conditions in the wild, managing wounds, treating injuries to the spinal cord or surviving extreme weather conditions, which a basic first-aid course won’t address.

Ashna Bhel, a 32-year-old, Delhi-based mountaineer and freelance instructor for adventure camps, took a Wilderness First Responder course from the National Outdoor Leadership School (Nols) in the US. Nols India offers the same course in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand (see Learn To Help).

“I learnt how to treat blisters and ankle sprains and deal with wounds and dehydration issues,” says Bhel. This training differs from basic first-aid training courses because it helps you become aware of your surroundings and helps you deal with emergency situations that you would not normally face in day-to-day life, she adds. “Learning how to identify AMS (acute mountain sickness), for instance, was a very important part of my training because as a mountaineer, I needed to be aware of the health issues that could crop up as a result of high altitudes,” says Bhel.

If you don’t travel or work outdoors, however, this course may not be as useful as a basic course.

Critical moments

The most important benefit of a first-aid course is the ability to identify and distinguish between different kinds of ailments and medical emergencies. “Not only can this save lives, but timely identification and treatment will help make recovery quicker and easier,” says Amutha Senthivel, a physician specializing in family medicine and diabetology at the Apollo Clinic in Chennai. “There is a greater need for emergency first-aid training in a country like India where, often, even if you have access to an ambulance, medical aid can’t be availed of right away,” she says.

“We’ve often heard doctors speak of the golden hour (when a patient must be treated within an hour of the appearance of symptoms) but, in reality, in most emergency situations, we often have only minutes to revive a patient and ensure that there is no lasting brain damage,” says Dr Venkatesh. “Since emergency care must be administered immediately, often the caregiver/bystander is the only person in a position to act right away. In my practice in India, I have found that 95% of the caregivers have no awareness of basic medical aid,” he adds.

According to Dr Senthivel, precious time is often wasted in taking a patient to the wrong specialist or hospital.

Training and awareness of first-aid, say the experts, should ideally begin early, preferably around the age of 15.

There is a growing need to empower communities to respond effectively to health problems. Emergency training must consider factors such as the trainee’s place of living. Preeti Kumar, director of training at the Public Health Foundation of India, a public-private initiative of the Union government to strengthen training, research and policy development in the area of public health, says: “If you live by a highway, your training should involve a better responsiveness to road accidents. If you live in a rural community, far away from a big hospital, your emergency training needs will differ.”

Learn to help

First Aid courses in Canberra are offered by many providers however our first aid courses offer you a good basic level knowledge that is not too over the top and that you wont forget. With all of our first aid courses you will receive a free first aid manual to keep and you will also receive a free cpr keyring facemask. Book into one of our first aid courses at www.canberrafirstaid.com