From today, hospitals in Victoria will need to alert the state’s health department within 24 hours if a patient has life-threatening allergic reactions to packaged food or drink.
This new measure is being introduced after the death of a 10-year-old boy in 2013; the boy drank an imported coconut drink which didn’t declare the presence of cow’s milk, and he was severely allergic to dairy products. The department wasn’t notified that the drink was the likely cause of the reaction and it remained on sale for six weeks before being recalled.
Under this new scheme, officials will be able to take quick action if there’s a public health risk.