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The Texas State Department's health department warns parents and other adults not to give babies honey-filled lollipops after four babies in Texas have been treated for botulism. Health officials said the four sick babies had received a lollipop containing honey purchased in Mexico, reported KHOU, a CBS affiliate.
The ministry issued the warning Friday and reported that the four diseases had occurred from mid-August to late October. The four infants were hospitalized for life-saving treatment. The children were not related and lived in different parts of the state.
Botulism is a serious disease caused by a toxin that attacks the nerves of the body. The toxin can cause breathing difficulties, paralysis and even death.
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Honey can contain bacteria that produce the toxin in the intestines of infants who consume it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics have long advised against consuming honey in children under 12 months of age.
Doctors say that by the time children reach their first birthday, they have developed enough other types of bacteria in their digestive tract to prevent botulism bacteria from growing and producing the toxin.
According to a press release from the Texas State Department's health department, honey-filled lollipops are not commonly sold in the United States, but could be available in some specialty stores and online retailers. Although most products are not designed for honey consumption, some would have had a small hole allowing the child to eat the honey, or the lollipop could break or leak accidentally.
Parents should also avoid lollipops containing any other food substance because they could also pose a botulism risk, said the health department.
Botulism is rare, with only 205 reported cases occurring in the United States in 2016, according to the CDC; 150 of these cases involved infants less than 10 months old.
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