Child had severe peanut allergic reaction on SIA flight when too many people opened bags of peanuts

Thank goodness everyone made it out okay.

Nyi Nyi Thet | July 18, 2017, 08:53 PM

According to a news article on Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Chris and Hong Daley were travelling home to Melbourne after a trip to Thailand when their son Marcus started vomiting on the Singapore Airlines flight.

The toddler's eyes began to swell, and he had a tough time talking.

They were less than one hour into their seven-hour journey.

This nightmare scenario was a result of Marcus' severe allergy towards peanuts, a condition known as anaphylaxis.

Thankfully, the parents were carrying four pens of adrenaline, and other anti-allergy medication, which helped save their son.

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Allergic to bags of peanuts opening

The cause of the child's allergic reaction was not due to consuming and ingesting any peanut products on board the flight though.

SIA had ensured Marcus received a nut-free meal for his flight after they were made aware of his allergy.

Instead, the cause was due to the opening of multiple packets of peanuts by the other passengers that triggered the allergic reaction. The whiff of peanuts in the cabin air was reportedly strong enough to have caused it.

SIA then proceeded to remove all peanut packets from the area, as well as suspending the service of peanuts in the economy section, after being made aware of the situation.

A friend of the Daleys, who was also on the flight and who also suffers from peanut allergy, albeit a milder form, also suffered from the peanut packets opening.

However, when she questioned SIA about it, this was their reply:

Image from ABC

According to a statement published by ABC, SIA did claim they would be reviewing the incident: "We are in contact with Mr Daley and will be reviewing this incident."

The Daley family are now urging airlines to consider not serving peanuts.

Some airlines, such as Qantas, have banned peanuts from all flights, while others such as JetBlue have created a nut-free buffer zone around the individual with allergies.

SIA has a web page dedicated to answering queries about "Passengers with nut allergy":

Passengers with nut allergy

A nut-free special meal does not contain peanuts and tree nuts (including almonds, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, pecans and macadamias), and their derivatives.

We’ll make every reasonable effort to accommodate your request for a nut-free meal. However, we’re unable to provide a nut-free cabin or guarantee an allergy-free environment on board. It’s not unusual for other passengers on our flights to be served meals and snacks containing nuts or their derivatives. We also have no control over passengers consuming their own snacks or meals on board, which may contain nuts or their derivatives.

We request that you take every necessary precaution, bearing in mind the risk of exposure. If you have any concerns about your fitness to travel, we encourage you to share this information and discuss your travel plans with your doctor.

If you choose to request a nut-free meal on board our flight, please contact your travel agent or local Singapore Airlines office at least 48 hours before departure.

 

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H/T ABC