Almost certainly yes. An October 2008 data brief by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that the prevalence of food allergy had risen by about 18% since 1997. Children under age 18 and those with other atopic conditions (such as eczema and asthma) are most likely to have food allergies.
As rates of food allergy prevalence have risen in the United States, so have rates of child hospitalizations for severe allergic reactions due to food. An estimated 9,537 children were hospitalized for these sort of reactions between 2004 to 2006 (more than twice as many as 2001 to 2003). While this increase may be due to a larger number of children having severe food allergies, it is also possible that some of this increase can be attributed to better awareness or more accurate medical reporting in the hospital setting.
Source:
Branum AM, Lukacs SL. Food allergy among U.S. children: Trends in prevalence and hospitalizations. NCHS data brief, no 10. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2008. 23 October 2008.
