§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have died as a result of a food allergy in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [57256]
§ Yvette CooperReliable data are not available for the number of deaths associated with food allergy. This is because deaths due to allergy are often attributed on the death certificate to asthma or some other symptom rather than to actual food allergy. The committee on toxicity reported in 2000 that of about 20 deaths annually attributed to fatal anaphylactic shock, 30 per cent. (i.e. about seven) are due to foods, the most commonly implicated food being peanut.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the UK have been diagnosed as having a potentially fatal food allergy. [57255]
§ Yvette CooperReliable data are not available for the precise incidence of potentially fatal food allergy. Most allergic reactions to food are mild, although reactions can be severe, even life threatening in a small number of cases. The food most commonly associated with fatal food allergic reactions is peanuts. In the UK, a recent study published in theBritish Medical Journal has shown that 1 in 200 children suffer from peanut allergy.