Words by Cheyanne Bryan
Allergy UK estimates 41 million people in the UK are impacted by allergies. While allergies exist on a scale of varying degrees, severe cases can cause an emergency response called anaphylaxis, and be deadly. The most common allergies are to pollen, dust and food-related items such as nuts, but people can be susceptible to other substances such as sunlight or water.
To spread awareness for Allergy Awareness Week, Smiley News caught up with Zak Marks, co-founder and CEO of Kitt Medical.
Kitt Medical created what they dub as “a defibrillator’s next door neighbour” to offer awareness and emergency aid to anyone experiencing anaphylaxis shock. Milder allergies can usually be subdued with your favourite antihistamine, however if you have high intolerance to an allergen, you may have been equipped with an epinephrine auto-injector - commonly known as an EpiPen - which administers adrenaline to stop your body going into shock.
As Zak himself has a severe nut allergy, he came up with the idea while he was still a student. He says, “It's really hard to carry your adrenaline pens, to have allergy awareness, to feel like you're being safely cared for, to know the people trained.”
He continues, “And so the idea [is] to create an air of safety and accessibility around the medication, and also train people in an emergency.”
The Anaphylaxis kitts can be wall-mounted and hold two 150mcg and two 300mcg adrenaline pens with an instructional guide. Kitt Medical also provides accredited training on how to use the kit in an emergency which has been completed by over 5,000 people.
While not everyone is given an adrenaline pen as they are only given to those with the most serious allergic reactions, plus allergies are able to develop beyond from when they were first diagnosed. Zak mentioned that many children first experience a reaction to their allergies at school, with many not knowing about them prior.
Since the launch of Kitt Medical in 2023, there have been two reported incidents of Kitt Medical’s creation being used.
Upon finding out about the first incident involving a 14-year-old girl that remembered seeing the kit as she was at another school for a dance club, Zak said “it was completely staggering. I broke down crying. I could not believe that it was actually being used.”
The second incident involved a teacher having an idiopathic reaction (meaning the cause isn’t known) and upon using her own adrenaline pen she needed a further two doses to treat her reaction.
At the moment the Anaphylaxis Kitts are only available in schools, but the team hopes to be beside all defibrillators in public spaces such as libraries, train stations and on university campuses.
To learn more about the work at Kitt Medical or enquire about getting one for your business, go to Kitt Medical’s website.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Allergies UK. This UK-based charity is dedicated to supporting children and adults with allergies. Learn more here.
Anaphylaxis UK. For over 30 years, this UK charity has been striving to protect people with extreme allergies. Find out more here.
The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation. This is a charity that focuses on research into curing allergies and changing the lives of people with them. Support them here.
