The start of a new school year for 7-year-old Victoria Profeta and her family means precise planning and execution: school supply ingredients must be checked, hand wipes bought, faculty and staff informed, classmates warned.

	Robin Rombach, Post-Gazette Victoria Profeta, 7, with her mom, Susan, at their home in Hampton. Victoria has severe allergies to anything made with milk or egg. Click photo for larger image.

Leave something out and the second grader could die.

Victoria, of Hampton, is severely allergic to milk and eggs. Touching or consuming these foods can send her into anaphylactic shock, a sudden, severe allergic reaction.

Though Victoria's case is unusual, food allergies in children are not. Last year, 2 million school-aged children had food allergies and the number is increasing.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that allergy sensitivities have doubled since the 1970s. And studies by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network report schools are seeing more children with food allergies.

One result is that schools are increasingly aware of the issues and are becoming more adept at working with families to keep their children safe.

And for parents like Susan Profeta, that also means her child has a better chance of fitting in.

The first sign something was wrong with Victoria came the summer of 1999 when Profeta gave her 1-year-old a glass of milk.

She seemed to like it at first, but then the screaming began.

"She started screaming, screaming at the tops of her lungs, hysterically," she said.

Victoria's eyes puffed up and she began to drool.

"You could hear her stomach rolling," she said. "And then she started vomiting, power vomiting."

Profeta called the pediatrician, who said it was unlikely it was an allergic reaction to milk.

Three months later, it happened again, but this time it was after eating noodles made with egg.

That fall, Victoria was diagnosed with severe milk and egg allergies.

Allergic reactions to food happen when the immune system mistakenly identifies that a substance is harmful. When the food is eaten, chemicals released trigger allergic symptoms and can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, or cardiovascular system.

Dr. Andrew MacGinnitie, an allergist at Children's Hospital, said family history and eczema make kids more likely to develop allergies, but some are sensitized as fetuses because of something the mother ate.

		Working with Schools Communication is key when a child with severe food allergies enters a new school. Here are some tips on making the process a little easier. A few weeks before school starts, schedule a meeting with the school nurse, teachers and principal to discuss your child's needs. Have a doctor's prescription or note ready along with information on the allergy. Develop a detailed food allergy action plan with the school that explains what to do in case of a reaction, where to get help, where medicine will be stored, what the symptoms may be, etc. Ask the school to distribute copies of the plan to school staff and faculty who may come in contact with your child. Each school has its own policy, so make sure to work out other details like where your child will eat lunch and if notes will be sent to parents of your child's classmates. Talk to your child and review what to stay clear of and what to do if he or she is exposed to the allergen. For more information, visit www.foodallergy.org or call the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network at 703-6914-3179. Source: The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network

Following the diagnosis, Profeta made it part of her routine to check for milk or egg in the ingredient labels for foods, medication, soaps -- anything that Victoria might touch or eat.

That regimen became more intense once Victoria started school, where birthday cakes and cold cartons of milk are part of the milieu.

Her parents met with administrators early on, hammering out a detailed emergency plan and teaching staff about their child's disability.

The school was helpful. They stopped serving milk in the kindergarten class and kept some tables milk and egg free.

Profeta also did her part by buying hand wipes each month for Victoria's classmates.

But complaints from parents about the rigidity proved to much for the Profetas, so this year Victoria will start second grade at a small private school.

"It gives her a much higher comfort level," her mother said.

But the increasing number of kids with severe allergies means schools and families are learning what to expect and how to anticipate their needs, said Charity Istone, president-elect of the Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses and Practitioners.

"I think, in general, school nurses work very hard to accommodate the needs of all students with chronic health needs," said Istone, who also is department chair of health services at North Allegheny School District. "That's what our job is, to make education accessible for all children with health needs."

Tracy Weller's two children can also experience anaphylactic reactions to food; one is severely allergic to tree nuts and peanuts, the other to shellfish.

Weller, of Wexford, said working with her children's schools was simple because she was responsible, but thorough when it came to planning.

"We can't change the environment. As your child grows, you realize this is a lifelong condition for them," she said. "But the schools have become an extension of what we've been doing in our own homes."

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, public schools have to comply with certain regulations if a child is disabled, but it's up to schools to decide if they'll go beyond those and, for example, ban certain foods.

MacGinnitie, the allergist, says parents often are advocates for drastic changes, and try to enact bans on certain foods to protect their children. But banning foods at school or at school functions "may make people feel better, but it may not be very effective," he said.

"Some parents or kids are clueless" and may accidentally take the offending food to school or even sneak it in, he said.

Susan Profeta acknowledges that she can't change the world, but she also can't stop worrying about her daughter. She not only thinks of Victoria's health, but also of her social well-being, right down to wondering where to find an egg- and dairy-free wedding cake when the time comes.

For now, she'll continue to plan out each school year, educating school staff and bringing in home-baked treats on her birthday.

"All in all, everyone's goal is to have them live like a normal kid," she said. "It does take extra planing and work, but result is she can go and live like a normal person."