LOS ANGELES — Federal health officials have expanded a nationwide recall of ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula as cases of infant botulism continue to rise across the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As of Monday, 15 infants with suspected or confirmed cases of botulism have been reported in 12 states, the CDC said in its latest update. While laboratory testing is still underway for several cases, all affected infants have been hospitalized and treated with BabyBIG, an intravenous medication used to treat the rare but serious illness. No deaths have been reported.
Among the 14 cases with available information, symptoms began between August 9 and November 10. The infants ranged in age from 16 to 157 days old, with roughly half being female.
ByHeart initially recalled two lots of its Whole Nutrition infant formula on November 8 after preliminary investigations suggested possible contamination. However, the company expanded the recall on Tuesday to include all unexpired ByHeart Whole Nutrition products — including cans and single-serve sticks — following warnings from both the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that additional batches could be linked to the outbreak.
Parents and caregivers have been urged to stop using any ByHeart infant formula immediately. “Consumers should not feed infants any ByHeart formula products, regardless of lot code or expiration date,” the agencies said.
Infant botulism, while rare, can cause life-threatening paralysis. Symptoms typically include constipation, weak muscle tone, poor feeding, difficulty swallowing, and loss of head control. The CDC noted that symptoms may take several weeks to appear after consuming contaminated formula.
Federal investigators are continuing to trace the source of the contamination as the outbreak widens, urging families to seek medical care promptly if infants show any signs of botulism. (Source: IANS)
