BY SANDRA GUY

As news headlines warn of a rash as a potential sign of coronavirus, food allergy experts find their awareness campaign has taken on a unique urgency.

May marks Food Allergy Awareness Month, and May 10-16 is designated Food Allergy Awareness Week.

So the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team, known as FAACT, advises anyone who experiences a rash or a serious allergic reaction to immediately contact his or her primary-care doctor or a board-certified allergist for help.

That will keep allergy sufferers from sitting for hours at an emergency room or medical center where social distancing and other precautions might be impossible.

“It remains essential to stress that epinephrine remains the first line therapy of a systemic allergic reaction, or anaphylaxis,” says FAACT President and CEO Eleanor Garrow-Holding.

Everyday activities — given restaurant closings, grocery shopping scarcities and stay-at-home mandates — pose challenges, too.

Families can find resources here:

• Quarantine tips for people with allergies on shopping, cooking, ordering food via apps, and more at https://www.FoodAllergyAwareness.org/blog/quarantining-with-food-allergies/

• Allergy-friendly recipes on the FAACT Pinterest page at https://www.pinterest.com/FAACT/allergy-friendly-recipes/

• COVID-19 awareness at https://www.FoodAllergyAwareness.org/blog/a-message-from-faact-on-covid-19/

• Allergic Living Magazine’s 90-page issue for anyone managing asthma, food allergies, Celiac disease, eosinophilic disorders and similar situations amid the coronavirus pandemic at https://www.allergicliving.com/2020/05/07/allergic-living-launches-free-covid-19-allergies-issue/

• A Food Allergy Awareness Month (FAAM) podcast featuring FAACT President and CEO Eleanor Garrow-Holding, to be posted Sunday, May 11, for Mother’s Day and to recognize the first day of Food Allergy Awareness Week, here: 
https://www.FoodAllergyAwareness.org/behavioral-health/faacts-roundtable-podcast/

What about empowering others to recognize people with allergies?

You can get busy doing that by joining FAACT’s #TealLoveShinesBright Food Allergy Awareness Month Campaign.

The campaign lets you download and display a poster in your home window, change your social media profile and cover images with #TealLoveShinesBright and share photos online by tagging FAACT on Twitter and Instagram with #TealLoveShinesBright and on Facebook at @FAACTnews.

Want to follow a daily schedule of building awareness?

Visit FAACT for more details:
https://www.FoodAllergyAwareness.org/education/food-allergy-awareness-initiatives/

“This Mother’s Day and Food Allergy Awareness Month are unlike ones we have ever experienced due to COVID-19,” Garrow-Holding said. “We are home with our families and loved ones, so please don’t take this time for granted.

“Still try to make time for YOU, even if it’s five to 10 minutes a day,” she said. “Go to a quiet place, go for a walk, or meditate – something you enjoy doing for you. And be sure to hold your families tight and tell them you love them.”

“I wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day and Food Allergy Awareness Month,” Garrow-Holding said. “Stay healthy, stay safe, and always be kind to one another.”