Baby formula linked to deaths

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http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7821691%5E1702,00.html

 

Baby formula linked to deaths

By Laurie Copans in Jerusalem

10Nov03

 

AN Israeli company partly owned by American food giant HJ Heinz Co has recalled

a kosher infant formula after three babies died of nervous disorders and 10

others were hospitalised.

 

The announcement by Remedia Ltd set off a wave of hysteria, and prompted a

special religious ruling allowing the notification of ultra-Orthodox Jews on the

Sabbath.

The recall also affected Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States, where

the soy-based formula is sold.

Remedia, whose baby products are found in virtually every Israeli supermarket,

said it had slightly altered the makeup of the formula in June to bring it into

" accordance with the scientific developments in the field " . The formula is

produced for Remedia by German company Humana Milchunion.

Health Ministry officials said the revamped formula lacked Vitamin B1, or

thiamine, although the packaging says the vitamin is included. B vitamins are

essential for the development and functioning of the nervous system.

" I think what is needed is that Humana and the German Health Ministry enter the

picture in the most serious and quickest way possible, " Israeli Health Minister

Dan Naveh said today.

Remedia said it had been in contact with Humana and the German government and

that it expected test results from Germany in several days. In the meantime,

company officials said they had ceased production of the milk substitute.

Germany's Consumer Affairs and Agriculture Ministry, in charge of dealing with

such issues, had no comment.

Heinz, which owns a 51 per cent stake in Remedia, offered to help with the

investigation, said Debbie Foster, a spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh-based

company.

" Heinz is a shareholder in Remedia and other companies around the world. It is

not a Heinz brand. It is a Remedia product, " she said. Nonetheless, she said,

" We are very sympathetic and concerned. "

Humana officials couldn't be reached for comment.

In light of the recall, 20,000 worried parents flooded special hotlines with

calls, Israel Radio reported. The number of calls to rescue services regarding

sick infants quadrupled over the weekend, the radio said.

The mass-circulation Yediot Ahronot newspaper devoted six pages to the story and

offered explanations to parents on symptoms and possible medical treatments.

In a rare move, Israeli rescue officials hired Arabs on Friday night, the

beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, to drive through ultra-Orthodox Jewish

neighbourhoods and announce the recall by loudspeaker.

The Health Ministry had announced the recall only after sundown on Friday, and

observant Jews are forbidden from driving, talking on the phone or turning on

electric appliances on the Sabbath.

In heavily Orthodox neighbourhoods in New York, the Hatzolah ambulance service

also sent out cars on the Sabbath to announce the recall. Synagogues also made

announcements during services, said Simcha Felder, a New York City councilman

who represents Brooklyn neighbourhoods.

The city health commissioner was posting notifications of the recall in Jewish

areas, Felder said.

The first death apparently linked to the formula occurred in June, shortly after

the new formula hit the Israeli market, Israel's Health Ministry said. Two other

deaths were reported this month.

Of the 10 illnesses, three of the children were in critical condition, the

ministry said. It said it was investigating 10 other suspicious cases.

All of those babies who died or who had symptoms of brain damage - including

vomiting, diarrhea and restlessness - were fed the formula, said Yitzhak

Berlowitz, deputy director-general of the Health Ministry.

" There is no doubt that there is a clear connection between the fact that these

babies had soy-based Remedia and the fact that they got sick, " Berlowitz told

Israel Radio. He also said the company had not received approval to import the

revamped formula.

Ilana Michaelov, the mother of one of the children who died, said she had fed

her eight-month-old son the drink less than five times, each time causing the

boy to vomit.

" I was nursing him at the hospital when he began shrieking and his eyes bulged

out. A few minutes later he lost consciousness in my arms, " Michaelov told Army

Radio. " His only symptoms were vomiting. " The boy died four months ago.

But some experts said it was too soon to say the formula was definitely linked

to the deaths.

This report appears on news.com.au.

 

 

 

 

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