Photo/Illutration Teachers conduct a simulation at a junior high school in Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture, on May 1 that a student has developed a severe allergic reaction to a food. (Provided by Nao Ishiguro)

Around 527,000 students in public schools across Japan suffer from food allergies according to a recent survey, an increase of about 120,000 students from the previous survey nine years ago.

The number of students from elementary school to high school who have experienced severe allergic symptoms, known as anaphylaxis, has also risen.

The Japan Society of School Health, a public interest incorporated foundation, conducted the nationwide survey of public elementary, junior high, high schools, as well as special needs schools, integrated elementary and junior high schools and combined junior high and high schools in fiscal 2022.

They received responses from 25,466 schools with around 8.3 million students, representing a 77.6 percent response rate. The results were compiled in March this year.

The foundation conducted similar surveys in 2004 and 2013 as a project the education ministry commissioned.

The recent survey was carried out as a project of the foundation and was subsidized by the government.

The number of students with food allergies had stood at 329,423, or 2.6 percent of students at responding schools, in the 2004 survey.

That climbed to 407,546, or 4.5 percent, in the 2013 survey and to 526,705, or 6.3 percent, in the 2022 survey.

The latest survey showed that 25.8 percent of students’ food allergies were caused by chicken eggs, followed by fruits at 25 percent, crustaceans at 14.9 percent, nuts at 12.4 percent, peanuts at 11.2 percent and milk and dairy products at 11.1 percent.

Health experts say having hay fever makes people more susceptible to fruit allergies. Some suggest if there are more children with hay fever, there could be more children with food allergies.

Food allergies cause symptoms such as hives, coughing and vomiting. In some cases, they can lead to the potentially fatal anaphylaxis.

The latest survey also counted how many students have experienced anaphylaxis.

The number stood at 18,323, or 0.14 percent, in the 2004 survey. But it climbed to 43,621, or 0.48 percent, in the 2013 survey and to 51,881, or 0.62 percent, in the 2022 survey.

Only 26.8 percent of the surveyed schools conducted a drill for how to respond to a student with anaphylaxis, according to the survey.

When people develop anaphylaxis, the survival rate can significantly depend on whether they can immediately have the self-injectable medicine called epinephrine administered.

In the western Tokyo city of Chofu, a student with a dairy allergy died in 2012 after eating Korean pancakes with cheese, which was mistakenly served to her during school lunch.

It took 14 minutes from when she reported feeling unwell to when she was given epinephrine. An accident investigation committee noted the delay in administering the injection.

In the 2022 survey, there were 1,415 cases nationwide in which epinephrine was used during fiscal 2021.

Of these, 31.9 percent had paramedics administering it, followed by teachers and staff at 28.5 percent, students themselves at 23.7 percent and parents at 15.9 percent.

In the 2013 survey, students giving themselves the injection accounted for 30.8 percent, followed by parents at 28.2 percent, teachers and staff at 26 percent and paramedics at 15 percent.

Motohiro Ebisawa, head of the Japanese Society of Allergy who was involved in the survey, said the ratio of teachers administering epinephrine had not increased much compared to the previous survey.

He said it would be best if teachers and staff at the school, who are likely to be the first to notice any unusual symptoms, could administer the injection, as it takes time for parents or paramedics to arrive on the scene. 

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