As I stated a few times now -- Death shouldn't be the precursor for concern. The number of people with allergies have doubled, and their reaction is severe.
I have food allergies, although they aren't severe enough to cause anaphylaxis. It's nobody else's job to make sure that I don't eat something I'm allergic to; it is MY RESPONSIBILITY to make sure that the food I eat won't make me sick. If I even suspect that something contains (or has even been remotely near) something I am allergic to, I avoid it. I don't tell people they can't eat something, I just try to avoid the food as much as possible.
Is a peanut allergy serious? Yes. Do I think the numbers and severity of peanut allergies is blown out of proportion? HELL YES. Many parents these days won't even allow their kids near peanut butter, for fear that their precious will break out in hives. I gave my kid peanut butter at age one, and the other mommies looked at me like I had grown a second head. Then again, I was also the mom who didn't care if her kid got dirty, or ate food off the floor.
Too many parents are concerned with keeping their kid safe at all costs-knee pads and helmets when biking, bans on jungle gyms, no playing outside. America has become a nation of pussies. Moms wiping every available surface with anti-bacterial wipes, never letting their kids get dirty or run around in the grass-THIS is what is causing the rise in illnesses in our kids. Kids are dirty by nature, trying to keep them pristine and germ-free makes them more susceptible to illness. I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that the rise in "allergies" is caused by overparenting.
I have little sympathy for the peanut-free crowd, who insist that peanuts be banned because their darlings have an allergy. I think a LOT of parents go overboard with this, telling people little Maddyssyn will DIE from INHALING THE DUST OF ONE PEANUT!!!!! when in reality she'll only have a reaction if she eats it. If your kid is so allergic, put them in a bubble or homeschool them, don't make everyone suffer to accommodate what you say is your 'special need.'