Schoolgirl, 13, dies after suspected allergic reaction to Costa Coffee drink
A schoolgirl has died after she was said to have had an allergic reaction to a drink from Costa Coffee.
Hannah Jacobs, 13, died in February 2023 after she had a suspected anaphylactic reaction to a drink from the coffee chain.
Her mother ordered Hannah a hot chocolate from their local Costa in Barking, East London, prior to a dentist appointment that they had scheduled.
The teenager was known to have severe allergies to dairy, egg, fish and wheat, all of which she had been diagnosed with as a toddler, as per the Daily Mail.
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Her parents and family had managed the health condition throughout her life, and according to the legal firm Leigh Day, Hannah's mother had told the barista of her daughter's allergy to dairy.
But it took the 13-year-old just one sip of the drink to realise that it hadn't been made with soya milk as requested, and instead contained dairy milk.
They made their way to a nearby pharmacy to seek help, and staff gave Hannah an EpiPen - a treatment designed to inject the individual to combat a life threatening allergic reaction.
But it was ultimately too little too late, as an ambulance crew showing up soon after to take her to hospital were unsuccessful in resuscitation attempts.
At 1pm on 8 February, 2023, Hannah was declared dead.
An inquest is set to be held at East London Coroner's Court next week on Monday (12 August).
The inquest, which is expected to last a week, will look into how Hannah died through the testimony of 11 witnesses and experts.
It is estimated by experts that 10 Brits die from allergic reactions to food every year, while 5,000 people are hospitalised for severe reactions.
According to the latest figures, approximately almost two and a half million adults live with a food allergy in the country, while hospital admissions have tripled in the last 20 years.
Allergies can provoke a number of symptoms, with the most severe being a dangerous inflammation of airways, restricting breathing, called anaphylaxis.
It can even make it impossible for the person to breath, with the body going into a cardiac emergency, similar to a cardiac arrest due to a lack of oxygen.
Children who suffer with allergies are more at risk from severe reactions, as their smaller size means that smaller amounts of allergens are needed to provoke a large reaction.
It's a scary occurrence, as they can be discovered in childhood with parents unprepared and therefore without an emergency injection at hand.
Families that have lost children to allergic reactions have called for the Government to appoint an allergy tsar so that the NHS can improve their services and awareness of allergies.
LADbible has reached out to Costa Coffee for comment.
Topics: Health, UK News, Parenting, Food And Drink
Joshua Nair