NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fairs, picnics, ballgames and other social gatherings can make spring and summer primetime for allergic reactions, warns the American Academy of Allergy,Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

Dr. Amal H. Assa’ad, associate director of the Division ofAllergy & Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital MedicalCenter and an AAAAI member, told Reuters Health that just the daybefore she had treated a nut-allergic child who developed areaction after eating a salad with cashews and banana bread withwalnuts at a pot-luck party. “This is a very typical story,” saidAssa’ad.

Parents of children with peanut or tree-nut allergies need to bevigilant about the food the child comes into contact with, andshould also carry an Epi-pen with them at all times, she added.