{"id":7842,"date":"2026-04-14T09:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=7842"},"modified":"2026-04-14T09:37:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:37:08","slug":"millions-like-jess-9-live-in-fear-of-a-fatal-allergic-reaction-even-after-five-official-reports-calling-for-better-care-and-greater-awareness-now-campaigners-say-an-allergy-tsar-is-needed-to-he","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=7842","title":{"rendered":"Millions like Jess, 9, live in fear of a fatal allergic reaction – even after five official reports calling for better care and greater awareness. Now campaigners say an ‘allergy tsar’ is needed to help save lives…"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

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At just nine years old, Jess Hoque has already experienced several episodes of a life-threatening reaction due to a dairy allergy he\u2019s had since birth.<\/p>\n

For his mum Billie, that means constant worry and vigilance about what her eldest son is eating and touching. \u2018Every meal is a calculated risk,\u2019 says Billie, a mum of three boys from Luton, Bedfordshire.<\/p>\n

\u2018I micro-manage his diet,\u2019 she adds. Jess experienced his first serious allergic reaction, known as anaphylaxis \u2013 which can affect the whole body and close the airways \u2013 at six months old in reaction to formula milk.<\/p>\n

His second, aged six, was at his cousin\u2019s birthday party.<\/p>\n

Billie recalls<\/a>: \u2018My sister had given Jess a \u201cfree from\u201d pizza thinking it would be OK, but it wasn\u2019t free from dairy \u2013 only gluten.\u2019<\/p>\n

As Jess says: \u2018I didn\u2019t swallow any pizza, but the second I put it to my lips they started going all tingly.\u2019<\/p>\n

Within minutes they went to A&E \u2013 but an hour later, while still at the hospital waiting to be seen, \u2018Jess looked at me and said, \u201cMum, I need Dad,\u201d\u2009\u2019 recalls Billie.<\/p>\n

\u2018His eyes started to go yellow and bulge, his lips swelled up \u2013 and I could see that he couldn\u2019t swallow his saliva. I picked him up and he was limp.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Nine-year-old <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Nine-year-old Jess Hoque, pictured (centre) with his mother, Billie, and brother, Jude, has experienced several episodes of a life-threatening reaction due to a dairy allergy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018I screamed for the nurses and they came straight away, injecting him with adrenaline [which helps reverse the allergy symptoms].<\/p>\n

\u2018He fully recovered, but an hour later he had another anaphylactic reaction.\u2019<\/p>\n

After more adrenaline, thankfully Jess recovered.<\/p>\n

Billie\u2019s paranoia about her son means she cooks everything from scratch. It\u2019s a similar story for millions of families across the UK.<\/p>\n

The very real danger they face was devastatingly brought to the national consciousness in 2016, when Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, from London, collapsed on a flight to Nice after having an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger baguette containing sesame.<\/p>\n

This allergen was not listed on the label, and despite her father Nadim administering two adrenaline injections, Natasha suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n

The tragedy of Natasha\u2019s sudden death prompted her family to launch a campaign to improve food labelling. Three years later, it resulted in Natasha\u2019s Law, which compels all food businesses to provide full ingredient and allergen information on pre-packaged food sold on the premises, including sandwiches and cakes.<\/p>\n

Now there is Benedict\u2019s Law,\u00a0which will come into force in September. It is named after Benedict Blythe, who died aged<\/p>\n

five from anaphylaxis at school in Stamford, Lincs, in 2021, after delays in giving him an adrenaline pen \u2013 the new law requires schools to train staff about food allergies and provide access to adrenaline auto-injectors.<\/p>\n

But relying on bereaved parents cannot be the appropriate way to improve prevention and care as more people than ever are affected by allergies.<\/p>\n

Some campaigners are now pushing for change \u2013 and specifically the introduction of an \u2018allergy tsar\u2019 to push through improvements to allergy services and care.<\/p>\n

More than 20\u2009million people in the UK live with an allergic disorder, such as asthma, eczema and hay fever, as well as drug and food allergies, and their number is rising.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Natasha <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, from London, collapsed on a flight to Nice after having an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger baguette containing sesame<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Th <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Th sesame allergen in the sandwich was not listed on the label, and despite Natasha\u2019s father Nadim (pictured, with his wife, Tanya) administering two adrenaline injections, Natasha suffered a fatal cardiac arrest<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The latest data show that hospital admissions due to allergy increased by 52 per cent between 2011 and 2017, while admissions for anaphylaxis rose by 29 per cent. Allergy UK estimates around 4.5\u2009million people in the UK are at risk of a life-threatening severe reaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Food allergy \u2013 thought to affect around 2.4\u2009million people in the UK \u2013 is particularly dangerous: a study by Imperial College London in 2021 found that from 1998 to 2018, hospital admissions for food-induced anaphylaxis increased by 5.7 per cent per year, or three-fold.<\/p>\n

Cow\u2019s milk causes over a quarter of deaths in children and is the single most common cause of fatal anaphylaxis in young people.<\/p>\n

Many wrongly believe food allergies are only an issue for children, who grow out of them, says Helen Brough, a professor of paediatric allergy at Guy\u2019s and St Thomas\u2019 NHS Foundation Trust in London.<\/p>\n

\u2018Adults can develop food allergies and it can come on in someone without any previous reactions,\u2019 she says. \u2018Recent figures show around 6 per cent of adults in the UK report having a food allergy \u2013much higher than in the past.\u2019<\/p>\n

Yet despite five reports since 2003 calling for an improvement in allergy care, it remains a Cinderella service, with a postcode lottery for diagnosis and treatment, compounded by a desperate lack of allergy specialists.<\/p>\n

The UK has around 40 specialist adult allergists, and slightly fewer paediatric allergists \u2013 that\u2019s one adult specialist for every 1.3\u2009million people in the UK.<\/p>\n

\u2018Not only are we battling with an inadequate provision of specialist care, but we\u2019re up against the disease pattern that has been increasing over the past few years,\u2019 says Professor Adam Fox, a consultant paediatric allergist in London.<\/p>\n

Next week sees the publication of a new report, the UK National Allergy Strategy, setting out priorities for improving allergy care. With input from specialists, education and industry experts as well as patients and their families, it is being hailed as the most far-reaching report on allergy services in 20 years.<\/p>\n

But there are fears it will go the same way as other reports before it \u2013 bringing no substantial uplift to allergy care.<\/p>\n

An allergy is where the immune system overreacts to a substance, treating it as a threat. It triggers the release of histamine into the blood, which causes an inflammatory response designed to rid the body of the allergen \u2013 in cases of food allergy, causing symptoms such as an itching sensation inside the mouth, ears and throat, a rash and swelling.<\/p>\n

\u2018Most reactions are mild and pass, but a small number of cases get a more severe reaction \u2013 anaphylaxis \u2013 and it\u2019s potentially life-threatening,\u2019 says Professor Fox. \u2018The onset of symptoms is typically rapid \u2013 within minutes of exposure, the airway swells, breathing becomes difficult and blood pressure drops. Patients need adrenaline quickly.\u2019<\/p>\n

He adds: \u2018There are millions of people with food allergies and, thankfully, anaphylaxis is an incredibly rare event. But any fatal anaphylaxis is one too many \u2013 as someone who\u2019s been involved as an expert witness in inquests, it\u2019s clear that apart from very rare exceptions, they would all have been preventable.<\/p>\n

\u2018We have an army of people with food allergies living their lives in fear. They\u2019re frightened to eat out, to get on planes, to travel.\u2019<\/p>\n

Their numbers are growing partly, it\u2019s thought, because children aren\u2019t exposed to enough everyday germs, so their immune systems don\u2019t learn how to respond properly and are more likely to overreact.<\/p>\n

\u2018We now believe allergies are linked to the gut and the body\u2019s natural barriers, like the skin,\u2019 says Professor Brough.<\/p>\n

\u2018In simple terms, modern Western lifestyles, including diets high in ultra-processed foods and increased exposure to harsh detergents, may damage these protective systems and disrupt the gut microbiome. This can increase the risk of developing food allergies.\u2019<\/p>\n

But how should allergy care be improved? The National Allergy Strategy is expected to recommend that allergy is formally recognised as a major chronic health condition, which deserves focused attention and management across the food, health and education sectors, as well as workplaces. It is also likely to call for improved management of allergies through education programmes for GPs, practice nurses and pharmacists.<\/p>\n

But for campaigners \u2013 including Nadim and Tanya, the parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse \u2013 the most important step is the appointment of an allergy tsar.<\/p>\n

This would be similar to the role of the cancer tsar \u2013 created in 1999 and credited with helping to improve UK survival rates significantly. In the years following Natasha\u2019s death, her family have been inundated with stories from other parents worried about food allergy or those who had lost a loved one. In response they set up The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, which funds food allergy research.<\/p>\n

They believe allergy is too poorly \u2013 sometimes dangerously \u2013 managed in the NHS.<\/p>\n

As Tanya says: \u2018There is a postcode lottery of care and insufficient numbers of allergy doctors, so some people wait too long to access a specialist clinic or are not able to get allergy testing.\u2019<\/p>\n

For example, Londoners benefit from a concentration of hospitals with allergy services, but in Northern Ireland some families wait up to five years to be seen, says Professor Fox, who chairs the National Allergy Strategy Group.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Shant\u00e9 <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Shant\u00e9 Turay-Thomas, 18, who had a severe nut allergy, after a catalogue of mistakes: she had been prescribed the incorrect adrenaline pen by her GP, the call handler sent an ambulance to the wrong address, and the automated system did not categorise the call as urgent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tanya adds: \u2018There are also service gaps. Some young people\u2019s management stops at age 16 when they leave paediatric care, and they\u2019re not automatically assigned to an adult clinic. It is clear we need somebody to oversee allergy services in the UK, to work across the government.\u2019<\/p>\n

There have been repeated calls for improvements in multiple reports \u2013 most recently, in 2021, in a review by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Allergy, which pronounced allergy a modern-day epidemic that the NHS was largely ignoring.<\/p>\n

It also recommended the creation of a national clinical director for allergy (a tsar), \u2018accountable for the development and then delivery of a plan for specialist care and primary care\u2019.<\/p>\n

This has also been stressed in repeated coroner reports on food allergy deaths.<\/p>\n

When Shant\u00e9 Turay-Thomas, an 18-year-old from north London who had a severe nut allergy, returned home in September 2018 complaining that she felt unwell, her mum Emma called 111.<\/p>\n

As she waited for an ambulance, Shante\u2019s symptoms worsened so she used her adrenaline pen, but had a cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n

\u2018Bye Mum, I love you,\u2019 were her final words.<\/p>\n

The coroner issued a Prevention of Future Death report \u2013 which obliges the authorities to take action to prevent similar deaths \u2013 highlighting errors in her care.<\/p>\n

Shant\u00e9 was not prescribed the correct adrenaline pen by her GP, the call handler sent an ambulance to the wrong address, and the automated system incorrectly categorised the call as a category 2, instead of the most urgent category 1. The ambulance took 52 minutes to arrive.<\/p>\n

Reviewing the case, the coroner identified a need for a single person with named accountability responsibility for allergy services.<\/p>\n

Over the years, the government has appointed all kinds of tsars, including a night-time tsar, to ensure London thrives as a 24-hour city. While the NHS in England lists 58 national clinical directors and specialty advisers on a range of issues, there is no one person with overall named responsibility for allergy services. It is a similar situation in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n

Nor is there a single mention of allergy or anaphylaxis in the NHS Long Term Plan \u2013 its ten-year strategy to improve patient care.<\/p>\n

Tanya and Emma, who is now an ambassador for The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, are determined to spare others similar tragedies.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are just mums trying to stop other mums from going through what we went through,\u2019 says Emma. \u2018Just thinking about all the families who have lost their children this way \u2013 maybe if a tsar had been in place, they would be here.\u2019<\/p>\n

An NHS spokesman said it is developing guidance to support local services to improve allergy care and exploring oral immunotherapy for food allergies. They add: \u2018Patients with concerns about managing their condition should contact their GP or allergy clinic.\u2019<\/p>\n

Trusting the wrong person nearly killed me\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Indio Roe, 27, a student from Hove in East Sussex, says:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Student <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Student Indio Roe had a\u00a0severe allergic reaction to a curry while working as an extra on a Bollywood film set in Brighton<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I\u2019ve lived with a severe nut allergy all my life and have always been incredibly cautious. But on July 15, 2024 \u2013 I will never forget the date \u2013 I made the mistake of trusting the wrong person.<\/p>\n

At the time I was working as an extra on a Bollywood film set in Brighton. During lunch, I asked the producer if the curry was nut-free \u2013 he assured me it was.<\/p>\n

As soon as I tasted a bit of the sauce, my mouth and throat began to swell rapidly, and my heartbeat began to race.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I used my adrenaline EpiPen, which usually works, but this time the symptoms got worse \u2013 terrified my throat would close up entirely, I ran to a local GP surgery two minutes away.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I knew running when you\u2019re having a reaction is not advisable [exertion can accelerate histamine release], but I figured that was my only chance to get help quickly.<\/p>\n

By the time I arrived, I was struggling to breathe and felt like I was going to pass out. I remember thinking \u2018this is how it ends \u2013 killed by food\u2019. It was terrifying.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The GP saw me instantly and saved my life by injecting me with a second dose of adrenaline. Paramedics soon arrived and rushed me to hospital.<\/p>\n

The producer\u2019s complacency could have killed me.<\/p>\n

Today, I\u2019m very careful to always carry two EpiPens and antihistamines \u2013 and always triple, or quadruple, check my food. If I\u2019m ever uncertain, I just won\u2019t eat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At just nine years old, Jess Hoque has already experienced several episodes of a life-threatening reaction due to a dairy allergy he\u2019s had since birth. For his mum Billie, that means constant worry and vigilance about what her eldest son is eating and touching. \u2018Every meal is a calculated risk,\u2019 says Billie, a mum of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[520],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7842","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hot"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}