MADISON (WKOW) -- A Madison allergist is asking if you'd know what to do, if a child had a severe allergic reaction in front of you.

If you're not sure - you're not alone.

Doctor Bukstein says parents, teachers and physicians need to know how prevalent this is and make sure kids are treated right away.

Dr. Bukstein spoke to future medical assistants at Globe University in Middleton this Wednesday, about common allergies.

He's showed them, through real case studies, what's commonly missed in the doctor's office is urgency.

"The biggest danger is death. 1,500 people a year die in the us of anaphylactic. The idea is early recognition and aggressive treatment to enable these patients to get to the emergency room where these things can be handled successfully," said Dr. Don Bukestein, Allergist at Dean Health in Madison.

The CDC reports the number of food allergies in the U.S. has risen by about 20% to 3 million children.

Although there's been many theories as to why, right now, there's no concrete answer.

Students say they didn't realize until now, how hard it is to treat.

"I didn't know it could be in more than one phase so once you treat it the one time you have to continue to watch the person cause it could happen again that was a very big surprise," said Lisa White, medical assistant student.

"It was shocking to find out we might be going through that stuff ourselves and its nice to know and be prepared the actual cases and learn and chatch it from ever happening again." said Clyde Gallagher, medical assistant student.

Dr. Bukstein has some advice for parents.

"Any parent that has a child with food allergy really develop and action plan with physician of what to look out for a check off list," said Dr. Bukstein.

He says it's important to have an adrenaline prescription, like an EpiPen on hand to counteract the allergic reaction.

Parents should also watch for any symptoms in their child, which includes them complaining they cannot swallow.

This could be an early sign of an allergic reaction. It's good to point out these symptoms, because next time it could be worse.

If you'd like Dr. Bukstein to speak at your school or work, call Dean Clinic at 608-294-6080.