Allergies come in all shapes and sizes ...
Just like allergy sufferers. And they are on the rise. For many people allergies can range from sniffling and sneezing to skin rashes to gastrointestinal issues. A certain percentage, however, have more than these uncomfortable symptoms to deal with. Anaphylaxis, a serious life-threatening reaction, causes approximately 1,500 deaths a year in the United States alone. Clearly, allergies are nothing to sneeze at!
Articles for Advocacy
Join us for our first annual Rochester Community Action Awards event! It will be held Thursday, November 15 from 6-9 p.m. at ARTISANworks on Blossom Road in Rochester. We could really use your help to find sponsors for the event and items for a silent auction. Please contact Patrick Morris at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any suggestions.
We sincerely thank you and will look forward to seeing you on November 15!
November Allergy Action Awards Gala Update
October 17th, 2018
Allergy Advocacy Association’s
Rochester Community Action Awards
First Annual Fundraising Gala
This event will honor leaders of our community who have made invaluable contributions to advocacy, management and research of life-threatening allergies.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
6 – 9 pm
ARTISANworks
565 Blossom Road
Rochester, NY 14610
Our featured honorees are:
Dr. John J. Condemi
We are pleased to honor Dr. Condemi with our very first John J. Condemi Award for his leading role in anaphylaxis research, treatment and advocacy in the Rochester area.
It’s very sad to learn that public safety officials at Seton Hall University as well as local police officers were so afraid of a lawsuit that they refused to administer epinephrine to a student experiencing anaphylaxis. Fortunately the student’s friend was willing to administer it, as by the time an ambulance arrived it might have been too late. The university now realizes training of public safety officers needs to take place and have been in contact with the Department of Health Services to arrange it. No mention is made of training for the South Orange Police Department.
EAI Device Incident Sparks Concern on NJ Campus
By Staff Writer Nicholas Kerr
October 3rd, 2018
A Seton Hall University student is alleging her health and safety were put at risk two weeks ago when Public Safety and the South Orange Police Department (SOPD) failed to administer an EpiPen to counter an allergic reaction.
Marygrace Smith, a junior graphic design and advertising major, said that while on her way back to campus in a Lyft with her close friend Maddie Guerrero, she began to experience the onset of what she knew to be anaphylaxis, a type of allergic reaction which involves the respiratory and/or cardiovascular system. “My allergies progress when I have a reaction, slowly, and then all at once,” Smith explained, “so I felt my throat closing, and I said to Maddie ‘I think there’s a real problem.’”
If you have been concerned about the shortage of epinephrine as well as its rising costs, rest assured help is on the way. In late September 2018, the FDA approved a new low-dose version of Symjepi that is a prefilled injection syringe. For those used to an auto-injector, additional training may be necessary, but the manufacturer claims it is very easy to use. They state the low-dose version will be ready as soon as possible, but the higher dose version that was approved in 2017 is still not available.
FDA OKs Another Alternative to EpiPen
By Kathleen Doheny
Sept. 27, 2018
On Thursday, the FDA approved a low-dose version of Symjepi, an injected epinephrine to treat life-threatening allergies. The new alternative, when available, may ease ongoing shortages of other epinephrine products such as Epi-Pen.
While the Epi-Pen, and others like Auvi-Q, is an auto-injected device, Symjepi is a prefilled injection syringe, so experts expect it to take time for users to get used to the new device, which aims to prevent the life-threating allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.