Physical Wellness

Boy From Wales Died From Scurvy; Case 'Invisible To Authorities'

By Jenn Loro | Update Date: Jan 26, 2016 10:29 AM EST

Children's welfare advocates in the UK has stepped the public discussion over the case of Dylan Seabridge, an eight-year-old boy from Wales who died of scurvy at home in 2011.

The concern was raised after leaked official report revealed that the local social and education services in Wales failed to place home-schooled Dylan under the government's radar.

The young Dylan succumbed to scurvy after collapsing in his own home before being rushed to a nearby hospital. The wider implication of the case is that it sends a nationwide imperative for locating and identifying others like home-educated Dylan who may have also slipped under the government's welfare radar.

"This is a rare case, but I don't think that Dylan Seabridge is the only child who is completely under the radar in Britain. We should be learning what we can very clearly from this case and as quickly as possible," remarked Sally Holland, Wales' children's commissioner as quoted saying by The Guardian.

Local education and social services units in Wales are currently being criticized for their apparent failure to monitor and prevent the child's deteriorating condition despite being informed of Dylan's worsening health a year prior to his death. The disease could have been easily cured or prevented had the government only paid adequate attention.

According to Daily Mail, a concerned teacher and a lawyer had alerted local officials regarding the child's predicament- Dylan received his education at home under the care of his mother who had mental health problems.

The case was initially brought to public light after the post-mortem exam revealed that scurvy- a deficiency in Vitamin C and other essential nutrients- was the reason for the boy's untimely death.

A report by The Telegraph said that the parents, Glynn and Julie Seabridge, were initially taken to police custody for neglect and ill-treatment but were later released pending a thorough review of their case by the local court.

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