STOP PRESS
ENTEROBACTER SAKAZAKII
JANUARY 2005
FRANCE
Between 25 October and 13 December 2004, 4 different hospitals identified cases of infection in premature babies caused by Enterobacter sakazakii. The majority of these babies had been fed on a powdered infant formula for lactose-intolerant babies; two of them died as a result of infection and others were seriously ill.
On December 10 2004, the Ministry of Health and the Family announced the recall of three batches of this formula, and then on December 17 2004, the Ministry issued a further alert to all health care providers and establishments announcing the recall of all packages of the formula in question, and calling for immediate reporting of any further cases of illness to the Ministry. The Ministry issued a reminder of hygienic practices for the preparation, handling and storage of feeding bottles and syringes:
· Breastfeeding is by far the best way to feed newborns and infants
· Powdered baby milks are not sterile products, nor are bottled mineral waters
· The practice of heating in microwave ovens is banned
· Reconstituted milks must be kept at a temperature of less than 4°C for no more than 24 hours, respecting the cold chain
· Any bottle of reconstituted baby milk must be thrown way one the hour after first use.
ALGERIA
Between 12-18 December, 2004, the Ministry of Health and Population sent three sets of instructions to all health directorates and pharmacies to withdraw batches of this powdered infant formula from the market, following a case in Algeria of suspected infection in a premature baby who was fed this product and the cases in France. The Ministry established an alert system was to report any further cases.
HONG KONG
On December 23, 2004, Government Departments sent out a food safety communiqué noting the international recall of the product in question and announcing the withdrawal of the product in Hong Kong. The Department of Health has contacted the French authorities and is collecting data from public and private hospitals about recent Enterobacter sakazakii infections.
UNITED KINGDOM
On December 22, 2004, the UK Department of Health sent a message out to the National Health Service, to all general practitioners (GPs), health care providers, pharmacists, dietitians and Chief Medical Officers advising them of a full trade withdrawal of this particular powdered infant formula from the international market by its manufacturer.
The message contains advice on storage and handling of made-up formula. It is addressed to health care providers but not to parents and care-givers.
BELGIUM
On December 20 2004, a press release of the Belgian Federal Agency for Public Health and Food Safety announced the withdrawal of all batches of the formula in Belgium, in Europe and all over the world.
THE NETHERLANDS
On December 23 2004, the Netherlands Food and Safety Authority announced the worldwide recall of this particular infant formula.