Prevention of allergies in the postpandemic era

• Published in: BMJ nutrition, prevention & health Vol. 6; no. Suppl 3; p. s1
• Main Author: Wong, Gary
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.12.2023; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Publishing Group
• Subjects: Allergens; Asthma; Biomarker; COVID-19; Editorial; Food allergies; Immune system; Microbiota; Pandemics; Prevention; Social distancing
• ISSN: 2516-5542; 2516-5542
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjnph-2023-000820

In order to minimise the morbidity and mortality related to this infection, countries across the world implemented drastic social distancing measures and restrictions including border closure, school closure, work from home arrangement and prohibition of mass gatherings.1 It seemed that the world had come to a complete stop. In the past three decades, there has been significant advance in our understanding of the importance of health depending on the interaction of the human immune system and the environmental microbiota.2 3 The pandemic measures may have changed such interactions affecting the development of allergies. Following the first wave of increase in asthma and allergic rhinitis, food allergy has become the second wave of the epidemic of allergy showing a rapid increase over the past two decades.4 Venter and Heine described in their articles the current evidence regarding how factors in the maternal diet and early infant feeding practice may influence the subsequent development of food allergy.