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Liquid baby feed linked to three more cases of blood poisoning Liquid baby feed linked to three more cases of blood poisoning
(about 1 hour later)
Three more cases of blood poisoning linked to a batch of intravenous fluid given to babies have been identified as the fluid manufacturer says it has tracked down the source of the infection. Three more babies have been infected with the contaminated liquid feed that killed a newborn at St Thomas' hospital in London, Public Health England has said.
Public Health England said on Wednesday that a batch of a food supplement called parenteral nutrition was strongly linked to the death of one baby and the illness of 14 others. As the total number of cases rose to 18, the managing director of the ITH Pharma, the company that makes the feed, said a single ingredient was thought to be the cause of the infection. All the babies developed septicaemia (blood poisoning) from the feed, which was contaminated with bacteria. The feed is delivered straight into the bloodstream via a drip.
PHE officials have now identified three further cases of septicaemia in babies being treated in neonatal units in hospitals in England, bringing the total number of cases to 18. Karen Hamling read a brief statement outside the company's London plant on Thursday, seeking to reassure people that there was no longer any cause for concern after the "tragic events" of the past few days. Investigators from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority have not closed any part of the plant or its processes.
The babies, who became unwell last week, were responding to antibiotic treatment, a PHE spokeswoman said. One case was confirmed at Peterborough City hospital in Cambridgeshire, and two probable cases have been identified at Southend University hospital and Basildon University hospital, both in Essex. "As a mother, as a pharmacist, as someone who has worked for 30 years in healthcare, inside and outside the NHS, I am deeply saddened that one baby has died and 14 others have fallen ill from septicaemia," Hamling said, prior to the PHE announcement of more cases.
Karen Hamling, the managing director of ITH Pharma which makes the baby feed, said in a statement outside the plant that a single ingredient was thought to be the source of the contamination. "We have instituted a recall of the limited number of batches which could potentially have been affected and all stock has been removed from circulation. Given this action, there is no reason for patients, their families or healthcare professionals to be concerned.
"From investigations carried out so far, it would appear the potential contamination is linked to a sourced, single raw material ingredient," she said. "From investigations carried out so far, it would appear the potential contamination is linked to a sourced single raw material ingredient."
Production of the baby feed continues and no part of the plant has been shut down. Hamling said inspectors from the MHRA were confident that safety standards were high and there was no reason for families or health professionals to be concerned. The company declined to elaborate on the type of ingredient or give any explanation as to how it got into the nutritional product, which is produced in an aseptic environment, where the air is constantly monitored for any bacterial infection. It would not say where the contaminated ingredient came from or at what point it became infected with Bacillus cereus, a bacterium found in the soil and food. The company is understood to be continuing to use ingredients from the same supplier.
"As a mother, as a pharmacist, as someone who has worked for 30 years in healthcare, inside and outside the NHS, I am deeply saddened that one baby has died and 14 others have fallen ill from septicaemia," she said. PHE has confirmed one new case in the neonatal intensive care unit of Peterborough City hospital and one "probable" case at Southend University hospital, where tests are continuing to establish whether it was the same infection. A further "possible" case has been identified at Basildon University hospital, where the baby has the same symptoms, but blood testing has not confirmed that the infection was Bacillus cereus. The hospital said it was possible the baby had cleared the infection, thanks to antibiotics, before the tests were done.
The company would not be drawn on details of the material it received from one of its suppliers. All the infected babies were premature or weak and vulnerable and in intensive care cots where they were receiving nourishment through an IV drip because they were unable to take anything by mouth.
The feed, known technically as parenteral nutrition, contains specially formulated nourishment and is made to order for babies. Hospitals are supplied with it on the day they request it and it has a shelf-life of seven days. The contaminated batch was sent to 22 hospitals, nine of which have now reported cases.
The baby who died on Sunday was at St Thomas' hospital in London, where two others became ill. Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: "All babies on the unit are being screened for the bacterium as a precaution and enhanced infection control measures have been put in place to prevent any further cases. These enhanced measures will remain in place until the trust is satisfied that no other babies are at risk."
All the hospitals report that the babies are responding to antibiotics.