Milk allergy baby died after meal

UK (January 27, 2003) - A five-month-old baby with an allergy to cow's milk died after being given breakfast at a nursery, an inquest heard.

Thomas Egan was taken ill minutes after staff at the Jigsaw Nursery in Milton Keynes fed him cereal containing milk powder, a coroner's court jury was told on Thursday.

His mother Wendy took him to her GP and he was transferred to hospital but was pronounced dead within two hours.

She told the inquest she had warned the nursery about her condition.

Milton Keynes coroner Rodney Corner said Thomas had been dropped off at the nursery, in Browns Ward, Milton Keynes, by his mother on 11 April last year about 0900 GMT.

He said: "Reasonably shortly after that, breakfast was served to these young children by an employee at Jigsaw Nursery and that breakfast consisted, among other things, of powdered milk.

"You will hear that young Thomas had an allergy to cow's milk.

"He was taken to a general practitioner's surgery and shortly afterwards to Milton Keynes Hospital where he died at 1040 GMT."

Displayed allergy

Mrs Egan told the inquest that she had told the nursery about Thomas's milk allergy and given them strict dietary instructions.

"He was my heart and soul, he was just a baby," she said.

"He was the most important thing to me so there was no way I was going to let him come to harm within my control."

But she said staff told her they had given him Sunrise banana food for breakfast before he died, which she later found out contained milk.

Thomas, her first child, had first displayed the allergy in December 2001, when she tried him with formula milk as well as breast milk as he was a "very hungry" baby.

Developed rash

She had to rush him to Milton Keynes General Hospital after he regurgitated the milk and developed a rash around his mouth.

A dietician later recommended she use soya milk and keep the anti-histamine Piriton to hand.

As a result, when she registered Thomas at Jigsaw Nursery, she warned them about his condition.

"I was told that when food was given, it was controlled and monitored by staff," she said.

The inquest continues.

Source : BBC