Boy nearly died after licking spoon aged just 3 as mum in severe allergy warning

A boy with a severe nut allergy almost died aged just three-years-old after he licked a spoon while on holiday with his family, his mum has shared in a warning to others.

Lavada Hinton was rushed to hospital where medics diagnosed him with anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to an allergy.

Anaphylaxis causes your immune system to release a flood of chemicals that can cause you to go into shock.

Your blood pressure drops suddenly and your airways narrow, blocking breathing. Signs and symptoms of a reaction include a rapid/weak pulse, a skin rash and nausea and vomiting, Wales Online reports.

In Lavada's case it was caused by nuts.

Lavada is now 11 and enjoys playing football and going out to the park with friends, but his allergy means he can be in terrible danger almost anywhere, at any time.

When Lavada was born, his mum Sharleen was always very wary of what foods were around and given to him as both of his sisters were allergic to nuts, so the family always kept him away from certain foods in case of a reaction.

But Sharleen had no idea her son's allergies would ever be so severe that if he came across the wrong food then it could possibly result in death.

She has now launched a campaign to help protect her son and thousands of others with the condition.

The youngster from Cardiff was just three when he had a life changing incident after licking a spoon that had been in contact with nuts.

Lavada was on a family caravan holiday when he accidentally came into contact with a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes.

Sharleen said: "He literally picked up the spoon and touched the tip of his tongue and that was when we first found out how bad his allergy was.

"He was sick everywhere, going all lethargic and would go unconscious and he was covered in hives and it was really bad. It was so scary because I knew it was caused by the crunchy nut cornflakes but I didn't expect it to be so severe.

"I didn't expect the swelling and the hives at all."

Sharleen knew straight away that Lavada was having his first severe reaction and said it was the most frightening and heartbreaking experience as he was so young.

Lavada now needs an EpiPen - a device which injects a drug into the body to combat the effects of the allergic reaction.

His severe allergy issues also include hay fever, tree pollen, cat fur and the family are waiting for an appointment for further tests.

In another frightening incident when Lavada was seven he went to visit a pet rabbit at a friend's house and within 15 minutes of being around it he was hospitalised.

His family were unaware the rabbit had nuts in the morning before licking Lavada's hand.

Sharleen said at that moment in the car on the way to the hospital, Lavada kept saying he didn't want to to die and was saying he felt like he was dying.

She added: "It has been very difficult over the years, especially in the beginning as certain places he could not go to and certain things he cannot do because it is to keep him safe in his surroundings as he reacts to the smell of nuts too, he doesn’t just have to eat them.

"Our priority has always been him. Our family and close friends are understanding but we do find there is still a lot of ignorance when it comes to anaphylaxis allergies.

"It causes the child as well as the parent extreme anxiety as it is a constant worry. As he’s grown up we learned and educated ourselves."

Lavada's condition is so severe he is unable to use public transport, dine out at a restaurant or even eat a birthday cake.

"When all his friends plan certain things like sleepovers, he will always have to double check if he can go and he'll say why is it always me, why am I the one who's always got to be awkward," Sharleen said.

"If he goes to the park with his friends and they buy something from the shop he'll always over panic and ring me to check what his friends have bought, it's a lot for someone so young."

Lavada is due to start secondary school in September and he feels very worried about starting in case something happens relating to his allergies as just a few weeks ago he was hospitalised after suffering with an anaphylaxis reaction.

Sharleen is calling for secondary school pupils to be taught how to use an Epipen in a drive to raise awareness about severe allergies that can kill.

Sharleen Hinton said her campaign aims to raise awareness and show people how serious severe allergies can be and how life changing, especially to young children.

His family believe that training should be given to all pupils in schools about serious allergies, and so they will recognise the main allergens and think twice about bringing certain food products to school.

They also want students to learn the signs of an anaphylaxis reaction and know how to act fast as the speed with which an EpiPen can be administered can mean the difference between life and death.

Sharleen said: "As much as I want to keep him home safe and wrap him up in cotton wool this just isn’t possible. He wants normality so all I can do as a mum is help him and so many others like him feel as safe and reassured as possible.

"Learning this important life skill will carry them through their life as anaphylaxis can happen to anyone at any time."

As part of her campaign Sharleen has launched a petition to the government to have first aid anaphylaxis training as part of the curriculum in all secondary schools across the UK, which you can find here.