You're at a restaurant, and a guy at the next table is having a severe allergic reaction to something he ate. His lips are swollen, his face is covered in a red rash, and he's wheezing. He collapses to the floor. Everyone stares, not knowing what to do. Do you?
MONTREAL, May 5, 2015 /CNW/ - Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction which can be life-threatening and requires immediate help.1 Yet according to a new Ipsos Reid survey, almost two-thirds of Canadians (63%) say they wouldn't know exactly what to do in this situation.
The survey also found that:
So is this something all of us should be concerned about?
Because so many people are allergic today (about 2.5 million Canadians self-report a food allergy2), it's very possible you could find yourself faced with such an emergency.
In response, a team of young adults who live with food allergies has been mobilized to help educate the public. They will be in major centres across Canada during the week of May 4-8.
Dylan Brennan, one of the Team Allerject™ members, is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. "We'll be providing tips and advice, and demonstrating the steps to take in an allergy emergency," he notes. "I'm excited to be part of this important education program because it may save lives."
The national initiative is being supported by Allerject™, the 'talking' epinephrine auto-injector, and is being launched to coincide with Food Allergy Awareness Month this May.
Team Allerject members will be doing media interviews and guest appearances in six locations across Canada – Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. They will be discussing how to recognize the symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, explaining the emergency steps to take to treat a reaction, and demonstrating the proper use of an auto-injector.
"It's great to see young people engage the community in public awareness about anaphylaxis. Knowing what to do in case of an emergency can help save a life," says Beatrice Povolo, Director of Marketing and Communications with Anaphylaxis Canada.
As well, the public will be able to access information and download resources at www.allerject.ca.
The Ipsos Reid survey, commissioned by Allerject, is considered accurate to within +/ - 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Allerject is distributed by Sanofi Canada. To learn more, visit www.allerject.ca.
About Sanofi
Sanofi, a global healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients' needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and the new Genzyme. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).
Sanofi entities in Canada include Sanofi Canada (pharmaceuticals), Sanofi Pasteur (vaccines), Sanofi Consumer Health (cosmeceuticals, over-the-counter products and specialty care), Genzyme (rare diseases) and Merial (animal health). Together they employ close to 1,700 people across the country. In 2013 Sanofi companies invested $129.1 million in R&D in Canada, creating jobs, business and opportunity throughout the country.
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1 Anaphylaxis in Schools & Other Settings, 3rd Edition, Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
2 http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/allerg/index-eng.php
SOURCE Sanofi Canada
Video with caption: "Video: Allerject talks you through the injection process. It is the only epinephrine auto-injector with voice instructions". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20150505_C1269_VIDEO_EN_16207.mp4&posterurl=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos.newswire.ca%2Fimages%2F20150505_C1269_VIDEO_EN_16207.jpg&order=1&jdd=20150505&cnum=C1269
Image with caption: "Allerject is designed for ease of use in anaphylactic emergencies (CNW Group/Sanofi Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150505_C1269_PHOTO_EN_16208.jpg
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