Following the tragic death of 23-year-old Osher Deri on Wednesday, Yamina MK Idit Sliman added her voice to the cries for awareness of the lethal dangers of allergies, in addition to public policy changes.
Sliman noted that this death, as well as others, could have been avoided if these three measures had been adopted earlier.
"Most people who suffer from severe food allergies don't feel safe in the public sphere – in fact, some even go out of their way to avoid it," she argued.
"Some feel that their allergy doesn't get treated with the severity and gravity it deserves, simply because the public does not understand it properly."
Since Deri's death, the restaurant has closed pending a police investigation, and there has been a widespread public outcry to heighten allergy awareness.
"If the restaurant staffers were aware of how dangerous a spoonful of dairy ice cream could be for a customer," Sliman said, "they would pay closer attention to what they were buying and serving."
Sliman addressed the behaviors of everyone involved once the allergic reaction had already begun: "No one understood the severity of the situation: Deri drove herself to the hospital."
If the public, including the restaurant staff and the people with Deri, had understood the very real dangers of a severe reaction, "they would have called for emergency medical services" instead of waiting.
Lastly, Sliman pointed out, even when Deri reached the hospital, no one was fully aware of her medical history to take quick enough action.