Melbourne and food allergy

An allergic reaction is one of the concerns for parents and physicians in the modern world. There has been much-increased patients suffering from allergy, although it was already reported in the previous era.

In Japan, it was only a couple of decades ago the government mandated food providers to show the information regarding some types of allergen such as milk and flour. I sometimes hear the news in which a child died from allergic reaction in a nursing house. I am not sure how the degree to extent allergic disease has increased in recent years, but it is undoubtedly much closer to us than the past.

Among the world, Melbourne is said to the place where food allergy is the most frequently reported. Melbourne is located in Australia. Its natural environment is a little unique.

There are some hypotheses to explain such high rate of food allergy of people in Melbourne. They can be a key to reducing the risk of emerging allergy.

The Age: Why Melbourne is the food allergy capital of the world

Desensitization is one of protecting methods for a person against an allergic reaction. Children gradually exposed to allergens are unlikely to make an allergic reaction. It means that dirty environment is beneficial for children, sound strangely.

Meanwhile, the cleaner our environment becomes, the more likely we have allergies. It is an irony considering keeping the environment clean is protecting us from infectious disease.

Also, people in developed countries have more risk of allergy. And it is expected that patients suffering from an allergy will be increased as the world is developing.