Party balloons deadly threat to six-year-old

By MONIQUE DEVEREUX health reporter

For most energetic six-year-olds, a bunch of colourful balloons is a happy sign a party is planned.

But for Emarei Afaese even one balloon is a potential killer.

The Glenfield youngster has a rare disorder that makes her allergic to latex.

Contact with rubber, elastic or latex dust can blister her skin in seconds, swell up her mouth and throat, and send her into anaphylactic shock - a dangerous reaction that can lead to the heart stopping.

Only a handful of New Zealand children have such an advanced level of the condition.

Exactly why the condition can worsen is not known. Nor is there a cure.

Emarei's allergy is thought to have developed through spending a lot of time in hospital as a baby.

For her family, it means everyday activities like going to school, playing at friends' houses and going to hospital must be carefully monitored.

A new policy had to be developed in the wards of Kidz First hospital in South Auckland to ensure it was a safe place for Emarei to stay.

Emarei had minor surgery last week and while the theatre was already prepared for the possibility of a latex-sensitive patient, the wards were not.

The constant stream of medical staff and visitors though a ward poses potential danger to Emarei.

A day before she was admitted, her hospital room had to be isolated, aired out and everything inside wiped down with a damp cloth.

All rubber gloves had to be replaced with vinyl, all toys with rubber in them had to be removed, all buttons on remote controls and nurse call bells had to be covered.

The tubing and cuffs on blood pressure testers are made of rubber, so they, too, had to be covered with plastic or thick cloth.

The ties on oxygen masks that are usually elastic had to be replaced with cloth. Staff working on Emarei's ward were instructed not to wear rubber-soled shoes or any clothing with spandex in it.

"It was an incredible logistical exercise," said clinical nurse educator Dorothy Isaac.

"But once it was set up and everyone informed, it was not difficult to work through."

Back at home, the whole family has become alert to potential "rubber danger zones," says Emarei's caregiver, Rita.

"You learn to smell rubber before you get near it. Some places are easy to cope in, others we just have to avoid altogether."

An example would be an indoor swimming pool, where latex dust in rubber swimming caps could easily enter the water.

Other children's birthday parties can be a bit of a nightmare, says Rita. "Many parents are quite happy to replace balloons with something else but sometimes Em misses out on going."

Hot water bottles have been outlawed, elastic hair ties have to be covered in thick cloth. Only plastic dolls become playmates.

At Sunnybrae Primary School, Emarei's classroom is rubber-free. The carpet does not have underlay, the erasers every child uses are plastic, balloons are not allowed.

Across the road is a medical centre, and Emarei carries emergency medication at all times.

And the little girl is so aware of health problems that she wants to be a doctor or nurse when she grows up.