A child in Hopkins County has died after eating strawberries from a school fundraiser.
On Friday morning at approximately 6:30, the Madisonville Police Department responded to a residence after an eight-year-old boy was found not breathing, according to WFIE.com. The child was transported to an emergency room where he later died.
The boy’s family told police that on Thursday night the child ate strawberries sold as a school fundraiser. The boy initially displayed a rash and was given Benadryl and soaked in a bath. The symptoms, though, did not relent, resulting in the family taking the boy to the emergency room at approximately 10:30 Thursday night. The boy was taken back home several hours later.
When the boy’s family attempted to wake him up Friday morning, he was unresponsive.
During the police investigation, hospital staff said that other people became ill after eating strawberries, WFIE.com reports.
The strawberries, grown at Southern Grown and Sizemore Farms, were distributed by Juicy Fruit LLC. They were sold as fundraisers at Madisonville North Hopkins High School and Hopkins County Central High School.
The Hopkins County Health Department, despite reports of other people becoming ill from eating the strawberries, said “the incident involving strawberries looks like an isolated allergic reaction.”
The report is preliminary, though, and Hopkins County health officials continues to advise not eating the strawberries.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
