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Could Public Access to EpiPens Save Lives?

BOSTON (CBS) - According to researchers, more than half of deadly allergic reactions occur at places that serve foods like restaurants, ice cream shops, and food courts, but Canadian scientists believe some fatal reactions could be averted if these places routinely stocked epinephrine auto-injectors like EpiPen.

Researchers recruited security guards and staff at a shopping mall and two of its restaurants in Hamilton, Canada and taught them how to recognize an allergic reaction, how to use epinephrine and then provided auto-injectors at central locations.

From 2014 until 2016, only one serious incident occurred but experts were so convinced that this practice could be life-saving that the Hamilton program has grown to include dozens of restaurants, fire stations, and government locations like arenas and community centers.

In the U.S., many schools are now stocking EpiPens but hopefully other public places will follow suit.

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