· My wife and I discovered our three-year-old son's peanut allergy on Faliraki beach in May 1998, when he was given a peanut-dusted crisp by a friendly couple.
His reaction was almost instantaneous and very distressing. Unfortunately, the taxi driver who took us to the hospital in Rhodes was more concerned about not getting the inside of his cab sandy than our predicament.
Although the hospital staff were very helpful, the language barrier made things difficult: they did not at first accept our explanation for his reaction and the only treatment they offered was an oxygen mask. Luckily he recovered after about four hours - the hospital accepted our Post Office-stamped E111 form as payment and the rest of the holiday was happy and uneventful.
You will need to take medicine with you to Rhodes, but bear in mind that for air travel you will require a doctor's letter to carry any syringes. We now have Piriton antihistamine for mild reactions, and adrenalin EpiPens for severe ones. Talk to your son's school nurse or the Anaphylaxis Campaign at www.anaphylaxis.org.uk.
It was easy to avoid nutty food on Rhodes; English style food was readily available.
Airline snacks often contain peanuts, and cabin fans blow the dust about. Consider disposable masks and swim goggles in your hand luggage.
David Reed.
· I have been allergic to nuts all my life, and have a son who is allergic to eggs. But we still manage to travel every year - three times this year, in fact!
I am also a trustee and the national coordinator for the Anaphylaxis Campaign - a charity set up a few years ago to help people with potentially fatal food allergies. I would be very happy to pass details on if you'd like to talk in further detail about travelling.
However, there are a few steps you should take immediately.
1. Ensure that you have a letter from your GP stating that you carry EpiPens - injectable adrenaline to be taken if there is a reaction. I have always just carried adrenalin, but with the view of recent events in New York, aeroplane security is now much tighter. It is advisable to have a letter to show at check in.
2. Contact the Anaphylaxis Campaign who have information about flying and holidays. They are at PO Box 275, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6SX, 01252 542029.
3. Contact the British Allergy Foundation [BAF] who can issue translation cards in the appropriate language. These cost £15 for a set of three - I do have a set in Greek. 020 8303 8583.
Yours sincerely,
Lisa Norrish
· My son is also allergic to nuts. We carry an EpiPen at all times. We also travel abroad annually, and have adopted certain procedures. Firstly, if we are travelling to areas where English is not widely spoken, we obtain a set of translation cards from the British Allergy Foundation. The first card explains the problem, and the need to avoid foods containing peanuts. The other two cards say 'my child is allergic to nuts/peanuts' and 'help, I need an ambulance'. They are invaluable in restaurants.
Secondly, we make a note of the telephone numbers of the local doctors and hospitals. We have not had to resort to any emergency action to date, but we do exercise caution and choose carefully from the menu. Main courses are usually safe: in Rhodes they tend to grill meat and fish, so you should be ok. We avoid mixed salad starters and particularly puddings, which often contain pine nuts. We stick to pre-wrapped ice creams, preferably brands which we recognise from the UK. We don't buy ice creams from soft scoop cabinets, due to the possibility of cross contamination via the scoop: they often sell pistachio ice cream. We also take a supply of chocolate bars and cereals from home.
Restaurant staff are very obliging and friendly if you explain the problem, and are quite happy to advise about their food. So relax, and enjoy your holiday. I also suggest you join the Anaphylaxis Campaign. For a small fee of £5 you will receive newsletters about nut allergies and current developments. Their telephone no is 01252 542029.
T. McCrave
· My mum runs a service for travellers and diners with food allergies at www.dietarycard.com. The site provides credit card-style translations of specific dietary requirements - these can be passed to the waiter and then on to the chef in a restaurant or hotel. At present the site caters only for coeliacs and vegans, but it will be relaunched early in November with tailor made cards to cater for all allergies and multiple allergies. You may select a translation that emphasises the severity of your allergy (requesting alert to possible cross contamination of menu items) or a moderate explanation of your food intolerance. If you want to be notified when the new service goes live, send an email to enq@dietarycard.com.
Louise Russell
