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The State Department of Texas Health Services is warning parents and other adults not to give babies honey-filled lollipops after four babies have been treated for botulism in Texas.
Honey may contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, an organism that produces a potent neurotoxin known to cause serious illness in infants. Infant botulism occurs when spores of C. botulinum in food, dust or other substances are inhaled or ingested and germinate in the gut of infants who have not yet developed a mature intestinal flora. For this reason, parents are advised not to give honey (raw or otherwise) to children under 12 months of age.
Infant Botulism: Symptoms of botulism in infants less than 12 months of age usually begin with constipation and may include poor diet and / or weak sucking, weakness, droopy eyelids, loss of head control and difficulty to breathe. The severity can range from mild illness with progressive onset to paralysis, respiratory failure and death. The rapid recognition of a suspected case, the administration of antitoxin and the introduction of supportive care can stop the progression of the disease.
Texas State Department Health Services will coordinate confirmation testing at the DSHS lab. To obtain antitoxin (Baby BIG) for treatment, physicians may contact the DSHS Acute and Emergent Infectious Diseases Branch or the California Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program.
Recent trends: Cases are rare. Between 2013 and 2017, Texas has recorded an average of 7 to 8 cases of infant botulism a year. However, since August, four patients have been treated for infant botulism and have long used a honey lollipop purchased in Mexico.
Investigators have noted that these honey lollipops and other lollipops containing food are available for sale at retailers and online, and that parents may not be aware of their potential danger.
Recommendations: Infants (children under 12 months of age) should not receive honey or lollipops containing honey or other food products because of the risk of contracting infant botulism. Honey consumption is widely recognized as a risk factor for infant botulism by health and public health professionals.
Infant botulism is a serious disease that requires urgent medical care. All suspected cases should be reported immediately to public health officials.
Botulism: Marler Clark, a law firm specializing in food safety, is the country's leading law firm representing the victims of botulism outbreaks. Marler Clark's botulinum lawyers have represented thousands of botulism and other food-borne illnesses and have recovered more than $ 650 million for their clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the country to have a practice exclusively focused on litigation in the event of foodborne illness. Our botulism advocates have advocated botulism cases related to outbreaks of carrot juice, pesto, cheese and chili.
If you or a family member has botulism after consuming food and you wish to make a legal claim, contact Marler Clark Botulism's lawyers for a free case assessment.
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