Marano di Napoli, May 23, 2025 – The dramatic increase in food allergies among children is no longer just a clinical phenomenon, but an educational and health emergency. The alarm was raised during the event "Food Allergy at School ," held at the Socrate Auditorium in the Municipality of Marano. The event was promoted by the Italian Association of Allergic Children (AIBA) and the Pediatric Allergy Center at the Federico II University of Naples, with the support of the Federico II School of Medicine and Surgery and the collaboration of the Orders of Physicians and Pharmacists of the Province of Naples and the Campania Region.
The meeting focused on managing children with allergies in the school environment, emphasizing the crucial role of teacher training and the adoption of shared protocols between schools, families, and healthcare providers. Professor Roberto Berni Canani, director of the Pediatric Allergy Center at Federico II University, accurately captured the emergency: "In Campania alone, in ten years, food allergies in children under four have increased by 120%, while in other age groups the increase was 34%. Nationally, over 92.000 children currently live with a food allergy."
Making a change of pace even more urgent are the data from the Ministry of Health: in recent years, hospital admissions for food anaphylaxis in children have increased by 400%. Up to 18% of reactions occur at school, often due to accidental exposure and, what is even more serious, in 25% of cases the child had not received a preventive diagnosis.
Hence the proposal of a concrete and operational model: specific training for school staff, life-saving lockers in every school with medicines and instructions for use provided by the Order of Pharmacists, and constant contact between teachers, families and professionals of Federico II. The objective is clear: to make the school a prevention centre, not a place of risk.
The Marano project was just the first step in a regional initiative that, according to AIBA and the team led by Berni Canani, will become a national model. "We want to bring this approach to all schools in Campania and, soon, throughout Italy, " the professor stated, " to ensure safety, dignity, and the full right to education for children with allergies."
AIBA and the Federico II Pediatric Allergy Center thanked the institutions that made the initiative possible, from the President of the School of Medicine, Giovanni Esposito, to the Mayor of Marano, Matteo Morra, to the Councilor for Public Education, Carmela Bocchetti, and Regional Councilor, Pasquale Di Fenza. A team effort to respond to an urgent need that can no longer wait.
The article highlights a serious problem, but there are too many data and numbers that can confuse readers. It would be helpful to have more information on how schools are responding to this emergency and what real measures they are implementing.