MN Infant Was First To Fall Ill After Consuming Now-Recalled Infant Formula
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Federal investigators are trying to figure out if deadly bacteria are hiding inside baby formula, which WCCO has learned started with a discovery in Minnesota.
Last September, an infant in St. Louis County became sick with Cronobacter sakazakii, which is considered a reportable disease in Minnesota. That means doctors are required to report potential cases to the state because of the danger it poses.
Cronobacter can cause sepsis or meningitis for infants, which can lead to hospitalization or death. The case from northern Minnesotan landed the infant in the hospital for 22 days before it recovered.
Doug Schultz, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Health, says Cronobacter sakazakii is a rare illness.
"We see maybe one case every three to five years," Schultz said.
And because that bacteria has been found in baby formula in the past, Minnesota health leaders share all cases with the FDA and CDC.
"In fact, our investigation did later find that the infant had consumed infant formula," Schultz said.
Not long after MDH submitted its findings, the FDA and CDC learned of more Cronobacter cases in infants, all of whom ate formula made at Abbot Nutrition's plant in Michigan. Inspectors found traces of the deadly bacteria at that plant, leading to a recall.
"When we provided that information, we had no idea whether there was anything wrong with infant formula, even with that infant formula that this infant drank," Schultz said.
Since the investigation began, the FDA said there's been at least five cases in which an infant who ate the suspected formula has become sick with either Cronobacter or Salmonella. Two of those infants have died.
MDH has an esteemed history of finding food borne illness and deciphering their source, such as a Salmonella outbreak in peanut butter in 2008. In this case however, Schultz said the department was simply following its protocols to report a concern.
"We were one small piece of a puzzle, and the puzzle is still being formed," he said of the investigation.
Click here for more information on the specific formulas involved in the recall.