Edmonton student's anaphylactic reaction highlights Alberta's stock EpiPen law

Last May, six-year-old Kofi Berkley, a Grade 1 student with no known allergies, began developing hives and swelling during recess at George P. Nicholson School in Edmonton. Within minutes his lip and eyes swelled and he struggled to breathe. Staff, recognizing anaphylaxis, used one of two stock EpiPens kept at the school and called an ambulance, which arrived about five minutes later.

The school had stock epinephrine on hand because of a 2020 Alberta law requiring all schools to keep epinephrine autoinjectors not designated for any specific student, on top of devices parents provide for children with known allergies. Food Allergy Canada says Alberta is the only province that legislates this requirement, and it is calling on other provinces to pass similar laws rather than leaving preparedness up to individual schools and boards.

Jennifer Gerdts, executive director of Food Allergy Canada, compared stock epinephrine to a defibrillator, saying it exists for emergencies involving people without a prior diagnosis. She cited U.S. data suggesting a quarter of anaphylaxis cases at schools occur in students with no known history of severe allergy. Alberta's law also requires school staff to complete a roughly 30-minute online training module.

Kofi's father, Cristen Berkley, said an allergy clinic has not yet identified what triggered his son's reaction, but knowing staff were trained and equipped eased his concerns about sending Kofi back to school. Principal Joanne Harle said paramedics later told staff how critical it was that epinephrine was given quickly, and said schools should practise for medical emergencies the way they do for fire and lockdown drills.