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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns parents not to give honey to their babies. The warning comes after four babies in Texas have developed botulism after being exposed to these sugary substances.
The four babies, who were not related, received lollipops containing honey and were purchased in Mexico. However, the FDA points out, similar products can be purchased in the United States from online retailers. All babies must be hospitalized for what the FDA calls "life-saving treatment."
Botulism is a rare but serious disease caused by a toxin that attacks the nerves of the body, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms usually begin with weak muscles that control the eyes, face, mouth, and throat, and can spread to the neck, arms, torso, and legs. Botulism can also weaken the muscles involved in breathing, which can be fatal.
Botulism can be caused by many sources, including low acid canned foods, wound infection, and contact with certain bacteria in the soil and dust, the CDC says. However, honey can also contain the bacteria responsible for infant botulism, which occurs when spores enter the digestive tract, grow and produce the toxin.
According to infectious disease specialist Amesh A. Adalja, a scholar at Johns Hopkins Health Center, honey can be given to children over one year of age. At this point, children have developed other types of bacteria in their digestive tract to prevent botulism bacteria from growing and producing toxin.
Experts say this warning should not be a novelty for parents. "As a pediatrician, you are supposed to remind parents not to give honey before the age of one year," says Gina Posner, MD, pediatrician at MemorialCare's Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, in California, at Yahoo Lifestyle. "I also recommend that all caregivers know that they can not eat honey. It's a real risk.
"Botulism is dangerous for everyone, but babies are more likely to get honey," Adalja says.
If your baby accidentally has honey – maybe a well-intentioned grandparent gave it to him or received one of those lollipops before you realized what was there in it – do not panic. "All babies who ingest honey will not develop botulism," says Adalja.
Nor is there any "doctor that can do to prevent botulism from developing," says Posner. Instead, watch for your baby and look for signs of weakness in his muscles or crying. "If they seem to get sick, be sure to inform the doctor that your baby may have ingested honey," says Adalja. Botulism is treated with a drug called antitoxin, which prevents botulism toxin from causing more damage, says the CDC. However, this does not reverse the damage already done. "Prevention is crucial," says Posner.
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