Allergies can be triggered by allergens including pollens, mould and dust. Learn how to keep your environment allergen-free and minimise allergic reactions.

Learn more about common allergens (such as dust and pollen), symptoms, diagnosis, prevention and treatment to help your child with their allergies.

How to Minimise Indoor & Outdoor Allergens

Other allergens such as alcohol, animals, insects

Many people are allergic to substances or particles in the environment. These allergens which trigger a variety of reactions ranging from mild to severe are often difficult to avoid and control. People may respond to environmental allergens by sneezing or scratching, they could have watery itchy eyes or their eczema may flare.

Allergies are very common in Australia and New Zealand, affecting around 20% of people at some time in their lives. There are many different allergic diseases, with symptoms ranging from mild hay fever to potentially life threatening Anaphylaxis. Allergy is also one of the major factors associated with the cause and persistence of asthma.

Adrenaline for Severe Allergies  Allergen Avoidance   Allergen Immunotherapy  Oral Immunotherapy for Food Allergy Transitioning from Paediatric to Adult Care for Severe Allergies ASCIA transitioning from paed to adult care  

Educate those around you - Educate family, friends, babysitters etc Know the allergens, how to avoid the allergens and how to treat a reaction (including how to use an adrenaline autoinjector). Consider purchasing an EpiPen trainer to allow you and family/friends to regularly practice

Allergy tests help to identify or confirm what allergens are causing allergy and/or asthma symptoms. Skin prick tests or blood tests measure allergen specific Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. A positive result indicates sensitivity to an allergen. However, test results cannot be used on their own and should only be considered together with a patient’s history of symptoms.

Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a potential treatment for food allergy. It is an emerging experimental treatment, and its benefits and harms are still being studied in clinical trials in Australia and globally. OIT involves giving gradually increasing amounts of food allergen under medical supervision and continued daily consumption of the food allergen. If the goal of desensitisation is reached, there is a temporary increase in the amount of food allergen that can be consumed before an allergic reaction occurs.