Released today, The National Allergy Strategy guidelines were designed in consultation with key stakeholders and parents to provide greater clarity around anaphylaxis prevention in schools.

The revised guidelines come after the number of Australian school-aged children with allergies has risen in the past decade and is now estimated to affect one in 20 children.

READ MORE: Native logging increases bushfire risk, UTAS paper finds

National Allergy Strategy co-chair and Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia chief executive Maria Said stated that nationally, there were inconsistencies in anaphylaxis prevention and emergency treatment, particularly around staff training and incident reporting.

The report found that under the current guidelines, staff responsible for preparing meals in children's education and care services were not required to undertake food service allergen management training.

She said that these inconsistencies created confusion and anxiety for staff and parents, and ultimately put the safety of children at risk.

"The reality is that severe allergy and the risk of anaphylaxis is common in the school and children's education and care settings," Ms Said said.

READ MORE: Star Theatre sets record straight about Nitram showing

"Children with known allergies that are at risk of anaphylaxis may have severe reactions, but they can also occur in children not previously known to be at risk of anaphylaxis."

The new guidelines suggest that although certain foods have been banned from schools for decades, prohibiting allergens is difficult to enforce and instead, the focus should be on staff training.

"It is not recommended that schools 'ban' food and as such schools should not claim to be free of any allergen e.g. 'nut free'," the new rules state.

Paediatric clinical immunology and allergy specialist and National Allergy Strategy co-chair Dr Preeti Joshi, said the new guidelines and supporting resources outlined what is reasonable and what works.

READ MORE: Tasmanian suburbs in vaping pilot program revealed

"Trying to completely ban food allergens in these settings simply does not work and is near impossible to enforce," Dr Joshi said.

"It is not safe or practical to rely on people to not bring food allergens, of which there are many, into a certain environment.

"A consistent allergy aware approach with age-appropriate strategies is preferred.

"This includes ensuring staff are adequately trained, especially in the prompt recognition and treatment of an allergic reaction including anaphylaxis."

The new guidelines and supporting resources are available at allergyaware.org.au.

What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor: