Sharon Harley is from Burrell Creek, 170 km north of Newcastle, NSW.
She has fought for years with severe allergic rhinitis, persistent chronic fatigue and eye irritation.
“I suffer from sinus severe headaches, fog, fatigue and itching, crying eyes. It affects my work and my social life because I spend my weekends trying to recover,” he said.
Despite looking for the help of their head doctor, standard medications provided little relief.
Finally, she was referred to a specialist, but that was just the beginning of another fight.
“We only had a visits specialist who came to Taree once a month. I finally got an appointment after several months, but then stopped coming, and my only option was to travel almost three hours to his practice. That was not feasible to me, so I had to start the reference process again,” Sharon said.
The long waiting times and the additional travel costs meant that Sharon endured continuous fatigue and sinus pain before immunotherapy could begin.
“I spent almost a year waiting for treatment,” he said.
“If my doctor had access to more up -to -date specialized allergy and support information, I could have been able to start treatment much earlier.”
‘Australia is the capital of the world allergy’
Sharon’s experience is not unique.
For Accessing specialized medical care can be a challenge, especially for those suffering from allergic conditions.
With more than five million Australians affected by allergies, according to the department of health and aging care, conditions such as food allergies, allergic rhinitis, allergies to insect bite and anaphylaxis require timely management. However, for many in remote communities, specialized support is often out of reach.
Maria said, CEO of Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia and co -chair of the National Council of Allergies, said it should be done more to close the “information gap” between professionals and health specialists.
“Australia is often known as the world’s allergy capital, and yet we continue to see a large information gap among some headmates and allergies specialists, the training received by health professionals on allergies is minimal.
“Even those in metropolitan areas struggle to access specialized attention,” he said.
A dangerous tick bite
Paul (not his real name), who lives on a rural property in Tangs on the middle coast of NSW, never thought that a tick bite could threaten his life.
Despite growing in the country and not having previous severe reactions, anaphylaxis experienced after removing a neck tick.
His first reaction was mild, and in retrospect, he said he regretted not having looked for medical attention.
But the second time was much worse, while driving home from a job, another tick scratched and immediately felt his throat closed, his anthilling tongue and his ability to swallow quickly deteriorating.
When he arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later, he was struggling to stay vertically.
The personnel administered adrenaline, but was discharged without an action plan or clear instructions on what to do next.
Instead of obtaining guidance from medical professionals, Paul has trusted other people with anaphylaxis to learn to handle their condition.
Access to reliable allergy information
“Many patients resort to making their own diagnoses using unreliable information such as ‘Doctor Google’. When it comes to allergies or anaphylaxis, that is not a bet that is worth taking,” he said.
For people like Sharon and Paul, access to timely and precise allergy care could mean the difference between handling their condition and living with a constant fear of the next reaction.
Recognizing the growing need for accessible allergy care, the National Alf An online pilot platform aimed at providing specialized advice to GPS and rural allergy.
This service aims to improve patients in rural, remote and first nations communities by supporting local doctors to diagnose, treat and control patients locally, resulting in reduced waiting times for specialized consultations and minimizing patient trips.
That said, although initiatives such as allergy assistance are a leap forward, improving the attention of allergies in rural and remote Australia requires a broader awareness and a multifaceted approach.
“Limited specialized access, the complexity of allergies management and the exclusive environmental factors of these regions mean that continuous investment and systemic change are essential.”
