Just saw this...wasn't sure if I should put it here or in research; maybe I'll put it in both:
Local Scientists Fight Hidden Allergies Tisha Powell
(11/30/05 - DURHAM) - The recent death of a Canadian teenager who was exposed peanuts has many parents seriously concerned about their own children's safety.
Doctors say for now the best way to deal with a peanut allergy is to avoid them altogether. But research being done locally may actually lead to a future vaccine.
Primrose School in Morrisville is a peanut free environment to protect the many kids who are allergic to peanuts. It's a food allergy that affects 1.5 million Americans, and that number is growing. "We know that in the past 15 years in kids under five the prevalence has doubled. Why that is there's a lot of speculation, and there's an overall increase in allergic disease... so there's more food allergy now."
Dr. Wesley Burks specializes in allergy and immunology at Duke. He's working to develop treatments for peanut allergy one being a vaccine. "We've taken peanut proteins and we've made changes in it, so it's not longer allergic but it still would work for a vaccine and that's being studied in mice now. And the second one we're actually studying in children giving them back really, really small amounts giving them back about a hundredth of a peanut and increasing that over time."
Another study involves giving adults and adolescents antibodies that will bind allergic protein.
Dr. Burks says with studies being done here and around the world, treatment options should be available for those allergic to peanuts within three to five years. "It may be a shot... it may be an oral treatment, there may be other ways of giving it, but there definitely will be some treatment options then."
Dr. Burks says it's a good idea not to give peanuts to children under 3 if other family members are allergic to them.
