Boy, 9, dies of heart attack in front of classmates

A morbidly obese nine-year-old boy died in front of his schoolmates after suffering a heart attack in Jeffreys Bay yesterday morning.

It is believed the child weighed between 105kg and 125kg. He collapsed and died at Pellsrus Primary School at around 9.35am.

Jeffreys Bay police officer Warrant Officer Petra Els said the boy - who would have turned 10 on December 20 - was "morbidly obese" and had a history of heart problems.

Police spokesman Warrant Officer Mariannette Olivier confirmed the child had died at the school. "I believe his mother collapsed there and she was taken to hospital in Humansdorp. His father died last year," she said.

National statistics for obesity among children, contained in a report in the Medical Research Council's youth risk behaviour survey, published last year, reveal that 20% of high school pupils are overweight and 5% are obese.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation said during National Obesity Week last month that obesity was a "ticking time bomb" and South Africa was not immune to this growing international problem.

The report said obesity and being overweight were important risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

"If you are overweight or obese, you are at a high risk for a lifetime of pain, suffering, disabilities and indignities.

''This occurs through . hypertension [high blood pressure], diabetes and heart disease," the report says.

The report, however, did not include child obesity statistics, but said 70% of women aged 35 and over, and 45% of men over 25 were either overweight or obese.

A teacher at the school, who did not want to be identified, said the Department of Education would investigate the child's death.