THIRTEEN-year-old Jayden has a severe peanut allergy that could, if he doesn't control it, kill him.
The year 7 Mt Waverley Secondary College student is one of 14 at the school who are at risk of anaphylaxis and one of thousands across Victoria whose schools and childcare centres must cater for their potentially fatal allergies.
New state government legislation was last week enacted outlining mandatory training and risk-management procedures to ensure children's safety in the wake of the death in September 2004 of four-year-old Alex Baptist.
Mt Waverley Secondary College principal Gail Major said the new laws echoed what her school already had in place for children with food and other allergies.
"We've already got photos of the students with management plans in the canteen and all major buildings so that anyone who is first point-of-call with the students knows what to do," Ms Major said.
She said the school's two division 1 nurses were training all 160 staff members to administer an EpiPen.
"Now, as well as the procedures we already have in place, schools must have an anaphylaxis management check list," she said.
Ms Major encouraged other Monash schools to create or update their comprehensive allergy management strategies.
"There are so many medical conditions now, it's become a huge concern for schools," she said.
Royal Children's Hospital allergist Katie Allen said she had noticed a "massive increase" in the number of people admitted to hospital for anaphylaxis in the past few years.
"The great news is the majority of children who have food allergies under the age of three will grow out of it," Dr Allen said.
"But if someone has an immediate reaction to food they should come in for a skin-prick test straightaway."
THE FACTS
Anaphylaxis describes an allergic reaction where a person may experience swelling of their airways, difficulty in breathing and heart failure. Common triggers are peanuts and tree nuts, shellfish, eggs, cow and soy milk, and bee stings.
An EpiPen can be self-administered and is used to inject adrenalin, or epinephrine. When injected, it rapidly reverses the effects of a severe allergic reaction by reducing throat swelling, opening the airways, and maintaining blood pressure.