The ABC’s Catalyst program setup a pop-up allergy clinic in Sydney with expert immunologists Professor Dianne Campbell and Professor Connie Katelaris to help uncover why Australia is ‘the allergy capital of the world’, and to look at the latest science about what can be done to treat and prevent allergies.
The hour-long program, available now on ABC iview provides a broad overview of the rates of food, environmental and other allergies here and around the world, and features people in the local community talking about the real impact of allergies on their lives.
The TV hosts go behind the scenes at Sydney’s Westmead Children’s Hospital immunology clinic where health professionals talk about the rapid rise in patients numbers, with the current wait list at the clinic at 1,100, up from just 25 six years ago! Viewers also get to see what it is like for families and children undergoing food allergy challenge tests.
An article by Professor Dianne Campbell accompanies the program, detailing what may be causing the rise in allergies, and what can be done to minimise the risk of developing them.
