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Allergy New Zealand is a national charity that offers reliable information, education and support so you can manage your or your child's allergy, and live an active and healthy lifestyle. Start your Allergy Journey here

Latest news

May 2022

Allergy Awareness Week 2022

Sunday 8th - Saturday 14th May

An enthusiastic team of Allergy NZ volunteers have worked hard to present an excellent pack of resources for our early childhood centres, schools and Kura this year.

It is specifically designed for teachers and kura tātou to help them raise awareness and knowledge of allergies, but many of these resources and links will be also be a huge help to parents and whanau.

Please enjoy and share these Allergy Resources with friends, colleagues and family and to help us all raise awareness and understanding of kiwis living with allergies.

Allergy care and prevention is simple if you know how.

To view the resources, visit: HERE

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February 2022

FundaPen is back, as FundaPen2!

Allergy New Zealand and Pub Charity have relaunched the successful FundaPen campaign to deliver 3,355 free lifesaving EpiPen® auto-injectors to patients who have a doctor-diagnosed allergy and are at risk of anaphylaxis.

The FundaPen2 initiative follows the first campaign in 2019, which saw nearly 3,000 New Zealanders receive a free EpiPen® (adrenaline autoinjector).

Allergy New Zealand Chief Executive Mark Dixon says, “The lifechanging campaign was wholeheartedly supported by medical professionals and members of the allergy community, who have been calling for a repeat of it, since it came to an end in 2020”.

Read more, HERE.

November 2021

Have allergies and worried about the Covid-19 vaccine?

It is understandable some people with allergies may be concerned about whether the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine (Comirnaty) is safe for them or their family member(s).

However, the overwhelming evidence is that the vaccine is safe for everyone whether-or-not they have allergies or other health conditions, and it is far, far safer than remaining unvaccinated and at risk of getting Covid-19. Our allergy/clinical immunology specialists and others advise:

The vaccine is safe for:

See here for further information:

UPDATED: Assessing eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination at vaccine centres: Don’t delay | The Immunisation Advisory Centre (immune.org.nz)

How do we know it is safe?

Millions of doses have been administered globally. Countries distributing the vaccine have systems in place to report adverse reactions. We know from this that:

Adverse reactions including anaphylaxis are extremely rare;
There are side effects that some people experience, but they are mild and temporary, and show the immune system is responding normally to the vaccine.

In New Zealand, all vaccine centres are required to observe those who have been vaccinated for at least 15 minutes, know the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, how to respond if it should occur, and have adrenaline on hand. There have been few reports of anaphylaxis.

If you are worried about the risk of anaphylaxis, you can ask to remain under observation for a longer period.

For more information, see How can we be confident getting vaccinated is safe? on Vimeo

Is there anyone who can’t have the vaccine?

The list of reasons why the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may not be suitable is short:

Before the first dose:

History of severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to an ingredient of the vaccine. This is very rare, and only applies to previous anaphylaxis to a stabiliser in the vaccine called polyethylene glycol (PEG). Cases like this require expert assessment by an immunology specialist.

After problems with the first dose:

People who had a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) after the first dose – this typically occurs within 15 minutes of receiving it and is the main reason for waiting after vaccination. Even when suspected anaphylaxis has occurred after the first dose, increasing experience now shows that many people can be revaccinated safely in a specialist immunology clinic setting.
Those who had myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation of the lining around the heart) after their first dose of this vaccine. Myocarditis or pericarditis after the vaccine is rare. Diagnosis requires special tests and often assessment by a heart specialist.

If you meet any of these criteria, please contact your GP to discuss how to be safely vaccinated.

Ref: Who can't have the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine?

What is the long-term risk?

The known risks of COVID-19 illness and its related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death, far outweigh the potential risks of having a rare adverse reaction to vaccination, including the possible risk of myocarditis.

Long Covid

A study from the University of Oxford and the UK National Institute for Health Research found more than one in three people with Covid-19 would experience at least one symptom of long Covid up to 6 months after being infected.

The most common were breathing problems, abdominal symptoms, fatigue, pain and anxiety or depression.

Final piece of advice

Every day someone waits to decide whether or not to be vaccinated, they are at risk of serious – and possibly long-term - health problems from catching Covid-19. They are also a risk to others – the virus is highly infectious.

Please don’t delay – get vaccinated today.

October 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine and Allergies

The advice from the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology & Allergy (ASCIA) is that the Pfizer vaccine is safe for people with allergies. See their FAQ, and information from the Ministry of Health, below.

COVID-19 Vaccination FAQ - Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA)

COVID-19: Vaccine side effects and reactions | Ministry of Health NZ

Stay safe - Allergy NZ

Latest food recalls

April 2022

MPI/New Zealand Food Safety monitors food safety, including compliance with allergen management and labelling. Please check all labels when purchasing food, and also on medicines and natural health products. If you have any concerns about undeclared allergens, contact MPI Food Safety on 0800 00 83 33, or email: info@mpi.govt.nz

For a full list of food recalls, go to:

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety/food-recalls/recalled-food-products/

To receive email alerts on food recalls due to undeclared allergens, go to Subscribe to MPI | MPI | NZ Government, enter your email address and name, then go down to “Email Update Topics” and tick on “Food recalls – allergies”

Allergy Today e-newsletter

Our May 2022 issue of the Allergy Today e-newsletter is available here. If you would like to subscribe to receive future issues, click here.

See past issues:

Pollen Calendar

FREE Annual Pollen Calendar
Download your very own copy here

Nip Allergies in the Bub

See the latest advice on Allergy prevention from Australia's National Allergy Strategy here.

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2018 Food Allergen Labelling Guide

There are now 10 food allergens which must be declared on labels, and/or information provided on food for sale. Allergy New Zealand’s 2018 Food Allergen Labelling Guide is available here.

Guide to ACC Cover for Allergic Reactions (Anaphylaxis)

January 2018
The ACC guide, developed in consultation with Allergy New Zealand and Allergy specialists, is now available online here
For more information on anaphylaxis, and advice on ACC claims, go here

Hospitality training video

27 July, 2016

Aimed at front-of-house staff, this video describes steps to take in serving a customer with food allergies.

Find more information here.

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Food Allergies - undeclared allergens

If you suspect that there is an undeclared allergen in a food, contact MPI Food Safety on 0800 00 83 33, or by email: info@mpi.govt.nz.

For more details go to MPI Food Safety here

Information on potential food allergens that must be declared on food labels or made available to you if you ask for it. See the Food Smart website here

Anaphylaxis Campaign - #takethekit

Our friends at Anaphylaxis Campaign have recently released a hard-hitting short film to alert severely allergic young people to the importance of carrying their Adrenaline Auto-Injector (AAI), the first line of treatment for anaphylaxis. Watch the video here.

Latest videos
Please click on the links below to view our latest video content.
Kids with Allergies

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