ALLERGY PREVENTION
- Primary prevention is to induce immunological oral intolerance in early infancy
In practice, two different approaches are needed, depending on the immune status of the infant; whether he or she has previously come into contact with and reacted to an allergen or not.
Primary Prevention - attempts to prevent the initial onset of sensitisation and symptoms in subjects at-risk but as yet unsensitised. One of the main aims of primary prevention of food allergy is to induce immunological oral tolerance to food proteins in early infancy, mainly to cows' milk proteins.
Secondary Prevention - targets individuals already sensitised to keep them symptom free, (this refers to the treatment of an already allergic individual). This includes preventing further allergic disease in an infant who is already sensitised to a specific allergen, e.g. pollen, dust mite etc.
Download the allergy prevention chart (above) for more information.
