Flags at Queen’s University are at half-mast for a student who died after experiencing an anaphylactic allergic reaction.
Andrea Mariano, from Thornhill, Ont., was rushed to Kingston General Hospital where she was pronounced dead on Friday. She had recently started school as a first-year student in the Faculty of Arts and Science
Queen’s principal and vice-chancellor Daniel Woolf expressed his condolences in a statement. “We are saddened by the loss of this promising young woman,” he said.
It is unknown what specifically triggered the 18-year-old woman’s severe allergic reaction. A funeral has been scheduled for Thursday.
Details of a campus memorial service have yet to be finalized.
Anaphylaxis-related deaths continue to be rare in Canada, but a recent study shows that more Canadians are showing up in emergency rooms for allergic reactions.
According to data released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information in September, anaphylaxis-related ER visits went up 95 per cent between 2006–2007 to 2013–2014, despite increases in public awareness campaigns.
Allergist and clinical immunologist Dr. Susan Waserman told CBC News the failure to carry an epinephrine autoinjector continues to be a factor in anaphylaxis-related deaths.
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