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- Ask your travel agent to check with carriers on their snack food policies.
- Alert the airline about your life-threatening allergy.
- Pre-book seats and, if possible, request special grooming in your area.
- Consider your flight time; peanuts are less likely to be served on morning flights.
- Check with your physician regarding the number of epinephrine auto-injectors you should be carrying.
- You could also ask your doctor about bringing an oral steroid and antihistamine. Bring inhalers as necessary.
- All anaphylactic travelers should wear a Medic Alert bracelet or neck tag and carry a document that details the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and instructions for its treatment.
- You could find out about a physician, clinic or hospital at your point of destination.
- Make sure that you have adequate medical insurance.
- Ask to pre-board and discuss your situation with the flight attendant in charge. Ask if the airline will be serving an allergenic snack and, if they are, you can ask that it be withheld from your section. Prepare seating area: use disposable wipes to clean washable surfaces and cover seat with a clean blanket.
- Make sure all medications are readily accessible. You must be inseparable from your Epinephrine. Prior to your flight, the airline can give you exact dimensions for allowable carry-on and the stowage capacity under the seats.
- Bring all food, even packaged food and drinks, as well as utensils from home. Airlines cannot guarantee the safety of their food for any anaphylactic traveller. Remember to wash hands before eating.
- Should a reaction occur, use your epinephrine auto-injector at the earliest sign.
- Notify the flight attendant and ask for assistance.
- Check with the local anaphylaxis group re: food labelling practices, restaurants, etc.
- Know where the nearest hospital is located.
If you are travelling abroad, you might want to look for information through the web sites of fellow members of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Alliance:
Australia:
Anaphylaxis Australia
www.allergyfacts.org.au
Great Britain:
Anaphylaxis Campaign
www.anaphylaxis.org.uk
New Zealand:
Allergy New Zealand
www.allergy.org.nz
United States:
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (F.A.A.N.) (founding member)
www.foodallergy.org
Last date modified on Tuesday, December 14, 2010
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