TEXAS- FDA Alerts after 4 Infants reported of Botulism, also Health Risk of Pacifiers

Government Agent for Food and Drug administration has given Health Alerts after 4 infant reported of Botulism ( a toxin secreted by a bacteria that causes paralysis), hospitalized for life-saving medical treatment in Texas.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has given health alert to the parents and other adults who are nursing the babies, not to give pacifiers containing honey.  Each infant had been given a honey-containing pacifier purchased in Mexico.

The four illnesses occurred from the month of August to the end of October and caused all four babies to be hospitalized for life-saving treatment. The infants are residents of West Texas, North Texas and South Texas.

Botulism is a serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the nervous system and cause paralysis and even death.  The patient experiences difficulty in breathing after the bacteria, which produces the toxin.  Contaminated Honey contains bacteria, which affect the intestine.  When the child becomes 1-year-old they become less prone to this disease because they would start developing other types of bacteria in their digestive tract to prevent the botulism bacteria from growing and producing toxin.

Today, Department of State Health Services, Texas issued a health alert to the health care providers asking them to keep an eye for cases of infant botulism and to ask the parents not to allow the babies eat honey.  Honey can contain Clostridium botulinum, a bacteria that can produce botulism neurotoxins

The pacifier may accidentally rupture or leak, which are very dangerous for the infants. It also advises the parents not to use pacifiers containing any other food substance too, may cause a high risk of botulism.