Federal and state health officials are investigating 13 cases in 10 states of infant botulism linked to baby formula that was being recalled, authorities said Saturday.
ByHeart Inc. agreed to begin recalling two lots of the company’s Whole Nutrition Infant Formula, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.
All 13 infants were hospitalized after consuming formula from two lots: 206VABP/251261P2 and 206VABP/251131P2.
The cases occurred in Arizona, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington.
No deaths were reported. The FDA said it was investigating how the contamination happened and whether it affected any other products.
Business Wire via AP
“The safety and well-being of every infant who uses our formula is our absolute highest priority,” Mia Funt, ByHeart’s co-founder and president, said in a statement. “We take any potential safety concern extremely seriously, and act quickly to protect families. As parents ourselves, we understand the concern this news may raise. This voluntary recall is out of an abundance of caution and comes from our ongoing commitment to transparency and safety for babies and their parents.”
Available online and through major retailers, the product accounted for an estimated 1% of national formula sales, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People who bought the recalled formula should record the lot number if possible before throwing it out or returning it to where it was purchased, the CDC said in a statement.
They should use a dishwasher or hot, soapy water to clean items and surfaces that touched the formula. And they should seek medical care right away if an infant has consumed recalled formula and then had poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing or decreased facial expression.
Infant botulism is caused by a bacterium that produces toxins in the large intestine.
Symptoms can take weeks to develop, so parents should keep vigilant, the CDC said. According to the CDC, symptoms of infant botulism can include constipation, poor feeding, ptosis or drooping eyelid, sluggish pupils, a flattened facial expression, diminished suck and gag reflexes, a weak and altered cry, respiratory difficulty and possible respiratory arrest.
