13-year-old boy died after having cheese thrown at him by classmate

A 13-year-old boy suffered a fatal allergic reaction after another pupil flicked cheese at him during a school break, an inquest in London heard.

Karanbir Singh Cheema, known as Karan, collapsed less than 10 minutes after the incident at William Perkin Church of England High School in Greenford, west London, on June 28, 2017. He died 10 days later at Great Ormond Street Hospital, The Guardian reported.

The court heard Karan had several serious allergies, including dairy, wheat, gluten and nuts, as well as asthma and eczema. Staff initially believed he appeared calm after reporting that another student had put cheese down the back of his shirt.

Karan’s condition rapidly worsened

Former teacher Lucjan Santos told St Pancras coroner’s court that Karan approached him at the end of break to explain another pupil had thrown cheese at him. Santos said Karan pointed to the back of his neck and explained he had a cheese allergy.

The teacher then directed him to the school welfare office and asked him to complete an incident report. Santos said Karan appeared composed at that stage.

But welfare officer Bonny Campbell said the teenager’s condition quickly became serious after he arrived at the office. She described how he began scratching his neck, struggling to breathe and becoming increasingly distressed.

The inquest heard blood seeped through his shirt from scratching, while he became panicked and unsteady on his feet. Staff gave him Piriton and his inhaler before administering an EpiPen when his condition deteriorated further.

Campbell told the court the injection appeared to have little effect as Karan became pale, limp and unresponsive.

Out-of-date EpiPen was used

The hearing was told the EpiPen used during the emergency was a year past its expiry date.

Campbell said staff did not administer a second dose because first aid guidance they had received advised waiting 10 minutes before using another EpiPen. She also said emergency call handlers did not instruct them to give a second injection while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

The court heard staff also chose not to use another pupil’s EpiPen, which would have been the only available option for a second dose.

Consultant paediatrician Dr Vivien Chan later told the inquest that standard medical advice would usually recommend giving a second EpiPen after five minutes if symptoms continued. She added that a second dose could sometimes be given sooner if considered necessary, although she could not say whether it would have changed the outcome in Karan’s case.

Questions raised over allergy awareness in schools

The two boys involved in the incident, both aged 13 at the time, told the court they did not know Karan had a dairy allergy.

When asked whether pupils understood the potentially fatal risks linked to allergies, Santos responded that he hoped they did.

Dr Chan also told the hearing schools should keep copies of pupils’ allergy action plans on site, explaining that responsibility for sharing them often falls to parents.

The inquest proceedings were expected to conclude later that week.

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