A student who had just begun her college studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, died as a result of a severe allergic reaction, the school website reports.
The family of Andrea Mariano of Thornhill, Ontario indicated the cause of her death was anaphylaxis. While they provided no details as to the likely allergen trigger, Allergic Living magazine reports that Ms Mariano was known to have a severe peanut allergy.
The Queen’s University website stated that flags on campus will be flown at half-staff and that grief counseling is available through the University’s health services. Our deepest sympathies go out to the Mariano Family and friends of Ms Mariano.
We know that many parents of young adults with food allergies are concerned as they send their children off to school. We urge you to take every opportunity to remind them to protect themselves by following some basic guidelines:
- Urge them to always have two epinephrine auto-injectors on-hand;
- Make sure they know how to operate their auto-injectors correctly and to use them at the first symptoms of anaphylaxis;
- Their campus roommates and friends should all be educated to recognize the signs of anaphylaxis and know how and when to administer epinephrine in an emergency;
- Remind them to be vigilant regarding the safety of their meals, especially those that have been prepared by others and those that are served in a cafeteria/communal setting.
[Click here to see the update to this article.]
- Queen’s remembers Andrea Mariano – Queen’s University Website
- First-Year College Student Dies of Severe Allergic Reaction – Allergic Living
