Schools in Quebec may soon be instructed to keep epinephrine syringes (EpiPens) on hand for emergencies.
The recommendations are part of school-based care guidelines currently being developed by Quebec’s Ministry of Education and Health, Canadian Press learned.
Part of the guide covers the distribution and administration of medications such as the EpiPen in an emergency. Some schools already have epipens on site, but it is a legal responsibility for students with allergies to bring them to school.
The plan mirrors a petition submitted to parliament by Sylvie D’Amour, Mirabel’s MNA, stating that the primary school should be held accountable.
Members of the parliamentary committee Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) responded to the petition, saying work related to the issue was already underway.
Schools now largely prevent allergic reactions by banning certain foods, according to the Ministry of Education.
But as Group Allergies Quebec points out, nine foods are responsible for about 90% of allergic reactions, making this approach ‘utopian’.
“It’s almost impossible to get rid of them,” says Dominique Seigneur, the organization’s communications director.
Some school service centers and school boards have also established intervention protocols for dealing with cases of anaphylactic shock, but no universal protocol applies statewide. Quebec is the only province in Canada that does not have a province.
The Need for a “Case Manager”
As things stand, schools are doing their best to manage the situation, says Allergies Quebec, which has campaigned for the adoption of a standardized framework for the past 15 years.
However, the lack of cohesion can be attributed to “questionable practices, such as keeping auto-injectors in school offices, not within easy reach of people with allergies, or banning certain foods and avoiding allergic reactions during meals.” result in ineffective measures such as quarantining students. An open letter co-signed by Allergies Quebec last March.
Allergies Political parties in Quebec, especially given that 75,000 schoolchildren have one more food allergy and an estimated one in five have a severe allergic reaction in the school environment, He said state political parties were showing a “strong interest” in improving the situation.
“Our lawsuit has been well received and no one is against this desire to help young people, but it’s like there are no parties to the lawsuit. We can’t get the leadership to move things forward.” It’s strange,” Seigneur said.
In June 2018, Parti Québécois introduced a bill that would impose a universal protocol for severe allergic reactions in Quebec. The then Minister of Health, Gaëtan Barrett, put forward the idea of equipping every school with an EpiPen.
In 2019, then-CAQ Health Minister Danielle McCann opposed mandating a single protocol, preferring instead a “guide to good practice,” daily Le Soleil reported.
‘common sense’
Just as defibrillators are made available in public places, syringes should be made available to school children, as are first aid kits, says the Quebec Parents’ Association (RCPAQ). ) said.
“It’s inherently a good idea. I don’t see any arguments to the contrary,” said Sylvain Martell, a spokesperson for the group. “There are ideas that don’t require years of thinking to make sense.”
However, Martel disagrees that providing EpiPens in schools will relieve students of the burden of carrying them.
“While it’s a great idea to have an EpiPen at school in case a student reaches full term, children who really need an EpiPen carry it with them wherever they go, whether they walk to school or not. You have to keep in mind what happens, whether it’s taking the bus or going to a friend’s house.”
6-8% of elementary school students have food allergies.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 1, 2023.
