A SCHOOLGIRL with a severe dairy allergy tragically died after drinking hot chocolate from Costa Coffee.
Hannah Jacobs, 13, who was intolerant to dairy products, fish and eggs since she was a kid, thought the drink was made with soya milk.
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The teen girl, from Barking, east London, died on February 8 last year after a suspected anaphylactic reaction.
Hannah’s mother had ordered the takeaway drink from Costa before going for a dentist appointment.
She had told the barista about her daughter’s dairy intolerance, legal firm Leigh Day says.
However, when Hannah took a sip from the hot drink while waiting at the dental clinic’s reception, she immediately told her mother it was not soya milk, sparking concerns it contained dairy products.
She was urgently rushed to a nearby pharmacy, where chemists gave her an EpiPen – a self-administered medicine used as the first response in case of anaphylactic attacks.
Despite an ambulance crew shortly arriving at the scene to rush her to a hospital – and several attempts of resuscitation – medical staff were unable to save the child’s life.
Hannah was declared dead at 1pm that day.
An inquest into her death will now begin on Monday at east London’s coroner’s court – which is expected to last week.
The inquest will explore the situation when Hannah died – and hear the testimonies of 11 witnesses and other experts.
The Sun has approached Costa Coffee for a comment.
Hannah’s devastated family have now released a heartbreaking picture of her.
In the picture, understood to be snapped on her 13th birthday, the schoolgirl can be beaming a smile while holding birthday balloons and wearing a beautiful sash.
According to Allergy UK, anaphylaxis-type reactions happen in around one in 1,000 people, with peanut allergies affecting around 2 per cent of kids in the UK.
What to do in an anaphylaxis emergency
According to Anaphylaxis Campaign, it’s absolutely vital that someone having a reaction gets their shot.
They have to have it as soon as a reaction is suspected, and an ambulance has to be called ASAP.
Administer the shot first and then call 999 immediately after.
What to do:
- Try to ensure that a person suffering an allergic reaction remains as still as possible
- Preferably they should be lying down and if they are feeling weak, dizzy or appear pale and sweating their legs should be raised
- When dialling 999, say that the person is suffering from anaphylaxis (anna-fill-axis)
- Give clear and precise directions to the emergency operator, including the postcode of your location
- If adrenaline has been given, make a note of the time this was administered. A second dose can be given after five minutes if there has been no improvement
- If the person’s condition deteriorates after making the initial 999 call, a second call to the emergency services should be made to ensure an ambulance has been dispatched
- Send someone outside to direct the ambulance crew when they arrive
- Try to ascertain what food or substance may have caused the reaction and ensure the ambulance crew knows this
