Baby formula that has sickened nearly 40 babies with botulism is still on the shelves of some popular stores, such as Walmart and Target, the Food and Drug Administration has warned.
In November, organic infant formula maker ByHeart recalled its Whole Nutrition Infant Formula due to an ongoing investigation into an infant botulism outbreak that has spread across the country since August.
As of Wednesday, 39 babies across 18 states have been hospitalized in the outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Texas and California, the two most populous states, have seen the most cases. There are no reported deaths.
While parents watch their babies fall ill with the rare but potentially deadly disease, some stores continue to carry the baby formula, meaning unsuspecting parents could feed their babies formula potentially contaminated with Clostridium botulinum.
Botulism in babies occurs when they swallow Clostridium botulinum spores that “grow in the gut and make toxin,” the CDC said.
The FDA said Wednesday it continues to get reports that the recalled formula is being displayed at Walmart, Target, Kroger, Acme, and Shaw’s. The agency added that it is working with state partners and retailers to ensure the formula is taken off the shelves.
The Independent has reached out to the affected retailers for comment.
So far, at least four families have sued ByHeart, claiming their babies got sick from contaminated formula.
“I wouldn’t guess that a product designed for a helpless, developing human in the United States could cause something this severe,” Stephen Dexter of Arizona, whose four-month-old daughter Rose spent weeks in the hospital with botulism, previously told the Associated Press.
Hanna Everett of Kentucky, whose baby daughter Piper was also hospitalized after experiencing symptoms of the rare disease, told the AP: “She’s so little and you’re just helplessly watching this.”
In one lawsuit, Madison Wescott, a mom from Washington state, said, “Knowing that I can’t fully feed my child, and I can’t trust formula companies has really taken a toll on our family,” NBC News reported.
Anthony Barbera and Thalia Flores of California said in their lawsuit that their son was no longer eating and too weak to cry when he was treated for botulism, per NBC News.
Parents and caregivers are warned not to use ByHeart’s formula and to wash items and surfaces that may have touched the product. If their baby was fed the formula and experiences symptoms of botulism, they are advised to seek medical attention immediately.
Symptoms of infant botulism include poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing and decreased facial expression, according to the CDC. Symptoms can take up to several weeks to develop.
If untreated, babies can experience a “progressive, flaccid paralysis that can lead to breathing difficulties and require weeks of hospitalization,” the CDC said.