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A boy of two with a severe tomato allergy came close to death after innocently dipping his finger in ketchup.

Ruben Curie struggled to breathe as his face and tongue swelled up.

Mum Kasie, 24, said: “I honestly thought he was going to die. I was amazed that something as simple as ketchup could have such a reaction.”

Twelve months after his birth, his parents realised eating tomatoes would leave Ruben, from Rhondda, South Wales, with hives on his skin, like having just rolled in stinging nettles.

At nursery, Ruben’s food now has to be specially prepared and the family stay well away from fast food outlets like McDonald’s and Burger King where ketchup is commonplace.

Ruben has to avoid tomato sauce to stay alive - even though the rest of his family regularly have it on their tea.

Since the ketchup incident, he has had another three anaphylactic incidents - despite his eagle-eyed parents keeping a constant watch over him.

Kasie added: “He went into shock after eating a single baked bean.

“He is an amazing little boy and I wouldn’t change him at all. I do worry about tomatoes coming into contact with him, but I think as he gets older he will just stay out of their way.”

Doctors have told the family having a sensitivity to tomatoes in very common but having a anaphylactic reaction to them is very rare.

The family are now waiting for Ruben to see an allergy specialist.