Information updates

The time for Anapen^® adrenaline (epinephrine) autoinjectors to be held in place has now been approved for 3 seconds (reduced from 10 seconds) by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

Whilst the time has reduced from 10 to 3 seconds, Anapen^® devices have not changed. This reduction is based on data that confirms efficacy and delivery of adrenaline through the 3 second time frame.

All Anapen^® devices should now be held in place for 3 seconds, regardless of the instructions on the label.  However, if they are held for 10 seconds it will not affect the way that the adrenaline works. 

Anapen^® devices with the 3 second label are expected to enter pharmacies in Australia from January 2023 onwards. In the meantime, Anapen^® devices with a 10 second label can continue to be used, and injected for 3 seconds. Anapen^® devices should not be replaced unless they have been used, are just about to expire or have expired.  

To access the updated Anapen^® versions of the ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (red) and ASCIA First Aid Plan for Anaphylaxis (orange) go to www.allergy.org.au/hp/anaphylaxis/ascia-action-plan-for-anaphylaxis 

ASCIA anaphylaxis e-training courses have been revised to include the updated Anapen^® version of the ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis and instructions. To access the courses go to www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/about-ascia-e-training 

Information is also available on the Anapen website which has been updated to include a 3-D animation https://www.anapen.com.au/explore-in-3d and the option of entering product expiry so a reminder to renew can be received. The reminder email will be sent one month prior to expiry.

The Anapen^® version of the ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis (red) is provided to people with allergies who have been prescribed Anapen® adrenaline autoinjectors, which have been available on the PBS in Australia since September 2021. In September 2022 the TGA has approved Anapen® to be held in place for 3 seconds (reduced from 10 seconds). 

Anapen^®  doses recommended by ASCIA:

1. Anapen^® 150 (Jr): Children 7.5-20 kg (~1-5 yr)
2. Anapen^® 300: Adults or children >20kg (>5 yr)
3. Anapen^® 500: Adults or children >50kg (>12 yr)

In a major step towards addressing Australia’s allergy epidemic, the Hon. Ged Kearney MP, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, alongside allergy experts, has launched two world-first allergy organisations at a media event on Wednesday 31^st August 2022 in Melbourne, during the ASCIA 2022 Conference week.

The new National Allergy Council and National Allergy Centre of Excellence are backed by a $26.9 million Federal Government investment, and will address recommendations from the Walking the allergy tightrope report from the Parliamentary Inquiry into allergies and anaphylaxis:

• The National Allergy Council (NAC) is a natural progression of the highly valued and successful National Allergy Strategy. The NAC will continue to implement and expand the National Allergy Strategy as a partnership between the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) – the leading medical and patient support organisations for allergy in Australia.

• The Centre for Food & Allergy Research (CFAR), hosted at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, has expanded to become the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE). As Australia’s peak allergy research body, it will develop hubs for allergy research, repository and discovery, evidence and translation, and training and innovation. This will ensure Australia remains at the forefront of evidence-based management of allergic disease.

• The NAC and NACE, with support from the country’s peak allergy organisations encompassing clinicians, researchers, policy-makers, patients and carers, look forward to working together to ensure efficient translation of the latest research into practice.

These initiatives will help accelerate allergy research and clinical care, to improve the lives of five million Australians living with allergic disease and prevent anaphylaxis, including needless deaths.

Read the Media Release here

The ASCIA team works with ASCIA member committees and working parties to review, update and develop world leading, accessible, consistent and evidence based online resources, education and training, to support ASCIA members, other health professionals, patients, carers and the community.

As part of ASCIA's ongoing commitment to improving access to ASCIA website resources, education and training, and enhance the user experience, new webpages have been developed for health professionals:

• Resources  www.allergy.org.au/hp/papers 
• Allergy and anaphylaxis e-training courses https://etraininghp.ascia.org.au/
• Immunodeficiency e-training courses https://immunodeficiency.ascia.org.au/
• Pharmacist e-training courses https://etrainingpharm.ascia.org.au/

To improve access to ASCIA website information for patients and carers, and enhance the user experience, a new webpage www.allergy.org.au/patients/information has been developed, and ReadSpeaker has been added, to improve access for people with:

• Vision impairment, limited reading ability or learning disabilities, by allowing text to speech (TTS).
• Non-English speaking backgrounds - information can be translated into 20 different languages by highlighting the text and selecting 'translate’.

To find out how ASCIA resources are developed go to:  www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/website-information

This news item was issued on 17 August 2022 by Jill Smith, CEO of ASCIA, the peak professional body for clinical immunology and allergy in Australia and New Zealand.   

A new food allergy training course for staff working with vulnerable people in a variety of residential care settings has been developed as part of the National Allergy Strategy. The course is intended for staff working in aged care and other residential care, transitional care, respite care, rehabilitation care, mental health, disability, drug and alcohol, quarantine facilities and services, correctional and detention facilities, hospices and other overnight, short and long stay facilities.

The new e-training course, All about Allergens for Residential Care is provided free of charge on the National Allergy Strategy Food Allergy Training platform (www.foodallergytraining.org.au). It is designed to assist food service staff and staff who supervise residents when they are eating or participating in food-related activities, to gain knowledge about food allergies and best practice procedures. The course is suitable for cooks, chefs and kitchen staff, nurses and care staff, service managers and supervisors, allied health professionals including dietitians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and diversional and recreational therapists working in a residential care setting.

Through engagement with stakeholders working in this sector, this course reflects an understanding of unique challenges in providing food to residents with food allergy. Residents who may be incapable of, or have difficulty with communicating about their food allergy, have less control in preparing their own food. However, some residents are transient, having greater autonomy and mobility, which may put others who are less able, at greater risk. Staff preparing food and supervising mealtimes in these settings need practical training and best-practice safety processes that are versatile to the environment in which they work. We have seen high demand for food allergy training from food service staff working in the aged care sector particularly, and we now have a specific course relevant to this group.

The new ASCIA Radiocontrast Media Position Statement for health professionals is available at https://www.allergy.org.au/hp/drug-allergy/radiocontrast-media

Radiocontrast media (RCM) are a group of medical drugs used to improve the visibility of internal organs and structures of X-ray based imaging, such as plain film radiography and computed tomography (CT) scans. Adverse events related to administration of RCM include hypersensitivity (allergic-type) reactions and radiocontrast-induced nephropathy.

This statement focuses on hypersensitivity reactions to intravenous administered iodinated RCM.

It is important that all nurses, radiographers and medical practitioners who administer RCM are trained in the recognition of contrast reactions, the procedures for treating these reactions (including anaphylaxis), and resuscitation procedures (including CPR).

Although anaphylaxis to RCM is uncommon, it is important that any service using RCM is equipped and trained to treat anaphylaxis, which has been highlighted by a report from the Coroners Court of Victoria regarding the death of Peta Hickey on 9 May 2019. coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-12/HickeyPeta_233619.pdf

Registration is still open for the ASCIA 2022 Conference, which is being held as a hybrid event from Tuesday 30 August to Friday 2 September 2022. In person attendance will be at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). 

Health and safety measures will be in place for delegates attending in-person. To read about these measures go to www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/info-updates/ascia-2022-conference-health-and-safety-measures

To register for the Australian Autoinflammatory Disease Symposium 2022, at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne on Monday 29 August 2022, go to www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/info-updates/autoinflammatory-disease-symposium 

The ASCIA 2022 Conference is being held as a hybrid event, which enables in-person or virtual attendance.  

ASCIA and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) will have measures in place for in-person attendance, to ensure that the ASCIA 2022 Conference will be held in the safest possible way, to protect the health of everyone involved.

These measures include:

• Physical distanced seating arrangements (round tables) and limited delegate numbers in each room
• Eco box catering instead of lunch buffets
• Sanitisation stations throughout the venue
• Mask wearing in the conference and rapid antigen testing prior to attending is recommended

To further minimise risk, the Welcome Function will not proceed this year, as this type of large cocktail style function is deemed to be a high risk for spreading infections. Instead we will ensure that all other catering is of the highest quality, with a range of premium lunch and break menus.

Dinners will still proceed on the Wednesday evening (Trainee and Consultants Dinner) and Thursday evening (Gala Dinner) and these events will include health and safety measures.  

ASCIA recommends:

• Travel insurance for all delegates who are travelling to attend in-person.
• Virtual registration for people who are unwell or hesitant to attend in-person due to serious health concerns.

DO NOT ATTEND THE ASCIA 2022 CONFERENCE IF YOU HAVE ANY COVID-19, INFLUENZA OR COLD SYMPTOMS. 

If anyone experiences COVID-19, influenza or cold symptoms whilst attending the ASCIA 2022 Conference in-person, they should leave the venue immediately, isolate and test. If this isn't possible, venue staff can escort the person to an isolation room and provide a rapid antigen test for immediate assessment.

For all other first aid incidents first aid rooms are located on the Ground Floor of the MCEC. 

The MCEC venuesafe plan is available at https://mcec.com.au/venuesafe/visitor 

The ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy was launched on 29 April 2022. ASCIA has worked in collaboration with patient organisations (IDFA, AusPips, IDFNZ and HAE Australasia), and other stakeholders to develop the Strategy. The first goal of the Strategy is to enable early diagnosis of severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) by newborn screening of the Australian population. 

Following the Strategy launch and long term advocacy by patient organisations and ASCIA members, ASCIA welcomes the formal recommendation for SCID to be included in Australian Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programs which was recently announced in a media statement by the Australian Government https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/international-neonatal-screening-day

It is anticipated that other Australian states will also make funding commitments for SCID newborn screening.

The incidence of SCID is about 1 in 58,000 births. Most patients with SCID have a genetically identifiable cause, and usually develop severe, recurrent, persistent and opportunistic respiratory and gastrointestinal infections within the first few months of life, with failure to thrive. SCID is fatal in the first two years of life without early and definitive intervention which is enabled by newborn screening.

The ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy is available at https://www.nationalimmunodeficiencystrategy.org.au/

To read more about the Strategy launch go to https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/info-updates/ascia-immunodeficiency-strategy-launch