Dublin Homeless 10-Year-Old Dies From Allergic Reaction to McDonald’s Peri Peri Wrap

In an unfortunate incident, a 10-year-old died after eating a McDonald wrap in Dublin, Ireland. The child fell ill after having the food that his mother got for him. Maleek Lawal who lived on the streets fell ill 10 minutes after eating Peri Peri chicken at the Ilac Centre restaurant in October 2016. During a court hearing, his mother Rukawat Lawal said that she knew he loved food from McDonald's food and bought some for her son and daughter to 'keep them happy'.

She said that Maleek was allergic to milk, nuts, eggs, fish but did not have problems with eating hamburgers or nuggets. According to a Daily Mail report, Lawal arrived in Ireland from Nigeria looking for a shelter in 2006 while being pregnant with Maleek. Dublin Live quoted Rukawat Lawal as saying, "He was a beautiful, playful boy. He loved to read. My heart is truly broken for him."

At the time of the boy's death, the family was trying to find a place to stay, however, could not. On the day of the incident, she took her children for a haircut and later ordered hamburgers, chicken nuggets and a Peri Peri wrap for her three children.

She was quoted as saying, "We were homeless, with nobody helping us, we were on our own, and I was looking for a way to get out of emergency accommodation. I was looking for a way to keep the children happy. Sometimes I felt so bad for him, so sad for him, that when he asked for something I had to give it to him."

However, after eating the wraps, two of her children started complaining. She said, "He went into the toilet and said 'Mam I'm feeling weak, I can't walk'. His face and lips swelled up, at which point his mother took him back to the barbershop screaming for help." By the time the Dublin Fire Brigade arrived, Maleek was not breathing. His post-mortem report stated anaphylactic shock as the cause of death. It was milk in the chicken wrap that irritated the child.

Pediatric allergy specialist at Temple Street, Dr Aideen Byrne said that a skin test in March 2016 showed the boy still had allergies and advised his mother to ensure he avoided milk, fish, eggs and nuts. She said, "The recommendation is that parents should consult such lists before ingestion and to reinforce the importance of carrying an auto-injector in cases of food allergy."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 26, 2018 11:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).