The National Allergy Strategy recently submitted an election platform to all major political parties and has used World Allergy Week (April 7-13) to put the spotlight on their bid for $20 million over 5 years to address Australia’s allergy epidemic.
The National Allergy Strategy is a partnership led by the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA), the leading medical and patient organisations for allergy in Australia. It was established in 2015 and has previously received close to $2 million in government funding to boost knowledge and resources that are vital to help keep those with allergies safe.
The partnership is now calling for ‘a top to bottom approach’ that includes initiatives such as a national anaphylaxis register or notification scheme, training of health professionals and food service providers, better access to emerging treatments for food allergies, and expansion of existing education and support resources.
Allergic disease is one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in Australia and the impact it has on quality of life is reported to be greater than that of diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.
While all political parties have publicly endorsed their commitment to the strategy, the partnership’s spokespeople say serious funding is required to implement the necessary initiatives.
Read more on the National Allergy Strategy website.
