Children face 3-year delay for food allergy tests

Children with potentially fatal food allergies are waiting more than three years to be screened at the country’s only in-patient testing centre at Cork University Hospital.

Up to 5% of children under five suffer from a rare food allergy that can cause serious medical problems and poor quality of life, but there are very few services available to identify the hazard and manage the risk.

Only CUH and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth, provide hospital-based services for children, with limited services available in Dublin, Galway, and the Midlands.