Kentucky police are investigating after an 8-year-old died after eating strawberries during a school fundraiser. The boy was found unconscious in his home on Friday. His parents told police that he “eaten several strawberries the night before from a high school fundraiser” at Madisonville North Hopkins High School in Kentucky.
The boy's family told authorities he began showing signs of an allergic reaction, including a rash People reported. The parents said they gave Benadryl after he experienced symptoms and gave him a soak in a bath. However, his symptoms continued to worsen and he was taken to a nearby hospital at around 10.30pm that evening before being returned home hours later, the media reported.
Police said the family called authorities after they tried to wake him up for school Friday morning but found him unresponsive. After the boy's death, the Hopkins County Health Department said a preliminary autopsy report ruled it was an “isolated allergic reaction.”
“Dr. Christopher Kiefer, medical examiner, said the strawberry incident appears to be an isolated allergic reaction,” said Denise Beach, director of the Hopkins County Health Department. “He says this is a preliminary report, so we still advise against eating the strawberries at this time.”
Authorities did not say whether the boy had pre-existing allergies to strawberries.
After the boy's death, the Hopkins County Health Department issued a social media warning not to eat strawberries purchased at Hopkins County school fundraisers.
“Currently, the Department of Public Health Environmentalists is taking samples of the strawberries to the state laboratory for testing. While this incident may be unrelated, the decision has been made to err on the side of caution and advise against eating any of these strawberries,” said Hopkins County. The Ministry of Health wrote.
In a follow-up post, the organization said that medical researcher Dr. Christopher Kiefer said the incident “appears to be an isolated allergic reaction,” noting, “He advises that this is a preliminary report, so we still advise against eating the strawberries at this time.” .”