Health officials urge parents to immediately stop using this baby formula
The Washington State Department of Health is advising parents to immediately stop using ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula while a string of infant botulism cases are occurring across the country - including an infant in Pierce County.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a multistate infant botulism outbreak linked to the formula earlier this month. At least 23 cases have been reported across the country, which includes one case of an infant contracting botulism in Lewis County.
The Food and Drug Administration recalled all lots of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Formula on Tuesday, which includes 24 ounce cans and 0.6 ounce single-serving packets.
If you have the formula, take a picture of it, then record the lot number and best by date, the CDC advises. This is so the state health department can test the formula if your baby exhibits signs of the illness. If a month passes and no symptoms show, you can toss it.
It’s also advised to wash any surfaces or objects that may have touched the formula with hot soapy water.
No deaths have been reported in the outbreak so far, but botulism can potentially be fatal.
Symptoms can take weeks to develop, so parents who use the formula should remain vigilant and monitor their baby’s health. Most infants make a full recovery if treated early.
Infant botulism is a rare illness that occurs when children under a year consume spores from a bacteria, causing toxins to build inside their body. The symptoms include constipation, difficulty feeding, drooping eyelids, weak crying and poor head control, according to the CDC’s website.
