Pennsylvania parents urged to watch their babies for signs of infant botulism
LAFAYETTE HILL, Pa. (CBS) – Health officials say Pennsylvania and specifically, Montgomery County are hot spots for infant botulism, a potentially deadly infection. Parents are being warned to watch out for symptoms.
Julie McMonagle knew something was wrong with her baby. A primary symptom of infant botulism is weakness.
Doctors say it's rare and needs to be treated quickly.
McMonagle says her 5-month-old baby Colleen is back to a normal feeding pattern at their home in Lafayette Hill after she stopped suddenly in February.
"It all happened very quickly. Within maybe two days, she just stopped eating," McMonagle said.
Then she got lethargic. Doctors at a children's hospital diagnosed her with infant botulism, a potentially deadly toxin that can cause paralysis.
"I was like, ew, what is that? And they said it's actually pretty common in Pennsylvania," McMonagle said. "It hits you like a ton of bricks."
Pennsylvania has the second highest number of infant botulism cases in the country, many concentrated in Montgomery County.
"For us, in this region, unfortunately, it is one of the hot spots for botulism in the country," Dr. Kathryn Ziegler of Jefferson Health said.
Doctors say most cases of infant botulism are related to contaminated soil. When microscopic specks of dirt are inhaled and it's unclear why some soil is more susceptible.
"They said, there's nothing you could do to avoid it. It's just, unfortunately, there's no rhyme or reason as to why some babies get sick with it and others don't," McMonagle said.
Colleen who was just 3 months old at the time ended up on a ventilator for five days.
"It was really sad because there's nothing you could do, and she was so little," McMonagle said.
The only treatment for botulism is an antitoxin called BabyBIG that had to be flown in for Colleen.
"I was connected with some parents who went through it, and everybody said the same thing. It's a horrifying experience, but once they get the medicine, they will start to make progress," McMonagle said.
Doctors say Colleen is fine now. A scary bout with botulism will leave no lingering complications.
Doctors say most cases of infant botulism are concentrated in California and Pennsylvania, but it's not known why. It can also be caused by honey which is not recommended for infants.