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Boy killed by allergic reaction to a sweet he didn't even swallow
Last updated at 00:07am on 02.06.07
Mohsen Hussain, 9, died after popping a sweet in his mouth at the family shop
A boy of nine collapsed and died after popping a single sweet into his mouth in the family shop.
Mohsen Hussain, who had a nut allergy and asthma, had chosen the sweet from the pick-and-mix section.
He immediately realised it contained some form of nut and cried out to his father.
"He spat it out straight away and said he was having difficulty breathing," said his father Asif, 34, who was with Mohsen at the family grocery store in Brotton, near Middlesbrough.
"We never had an inkling that something could become so serious in just a few minutes."
Mr Hussain took Mohsen to nearby East Cleveland Hospital just after 6pm on Monday.
He was transferred immediately to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
But doctors there could not save him and he died soon after, leaving his family devastated.
Mohsen had been diagnosed with asthma and a nut allergy at a young age but it had always been kept under control.
The exact type of sweet he ate is not known. It did not contain a peanut but had come into contact with one.
"He loved all his family and everyone loved him," said Mr Hussain.
"He will be very sadly missed. We are a big family and he was close to all his cousins and aunties and uncles.
"We would like to thank everyone in Middlesbrough and also in Brotton who have shared in our grief and helped us at this time.
"We would also like to thank all his young friends and teachers and everyone who contributed to making his short life a very happy and joyful one."
Mr Hussain and his wife Zahira, 29, have two other sons, Raeess, five, and Salman, two.
On the day of the tragedy Mohsen had gone to Brotton with his father and spent the day riding his bike with friends at a local BMX park.
The family will hold a funeral service in Middlesbrough before the burial takes place in Pakistan.
An inquest at Teesside Coroner's Court has been opened and adjourned.
