ALLERGIC TO MILK

I am pictured with the son of one of my friends. I met them when I went with Kamariah to get the table cloth for the library from the dhoby. His dad, Cikgu Ishak, had brought him to the shop to buy some toys.

I was told that Amir is allergic to milk and so his dad has to be mindful of his son's diet. I actually found out about the allergy when I gave the boy a bar of milk chocolate. His dad had asked if it was made from cow's milk or soya milk. At that time I was baffled as to why I was asked the question but when I heard the explanation I realised that milk is not good for everybody. I guess that each time Amir takes things that contains cow's milk, he'd become very sick and that is why his family has to be very careful.

For your information, milk allergy is a food allergy, an adverse immune reaction to a food protein that is normally harmless to the non-allergic individual. Currently the only treatment for milk allergies is total avoidance of milk proteins. Products in addition to milk itself to be avoided by those with milk allergy include yogurt, butter, cheese, and cream. Goats' milk products may also need to be avoided. Also, there are some food that might contain some form of milk and might also cause an allergic reaction for some.
Aiyah! It sounds very troublesome to have to avoid eating so many types of food and also fearing that the food might contain some form of milk. Hopefully, the little boy grows out of his allergy when he grows older.
I felt bad when I had to take back the bar of chocolate from the boy as he looked so happy when I gave it to him. Next time, I come across chocolates made from soya milk I'll buy them and give them to Amir to make it up to him.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dairy_allergy