At least one baby in Flanders fell ill due to contaminated Nestlé baby milk
A baby in Flanders fell ill in early January after consuming a recalled Nestlé baby milk product. The child is now doing well and has made a full recovery. Laboratory tests have confirmed that the child fell ill due to the toxin cereulide, which was present in the recalled Nestlé baby milk.
A baby of a few months old fell ill in early January, explained Joris Moonens, spokesperson for the Flemish government's Department of Health. “The child was vomiting and had watery diarrhoea, but fortunately made a full recovery after about ten days. Stool samples from the baby confirmed that the baby had fallen ill due to contamination with cereulide from a Nestlé milk product.” The remaining milk powder will be examined in a laboratory.
The suspect Nestlé milk products have been recalled by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) since 5 January. The batch number of the milk product that made the baby ill is included in this recall. Parents can check for themselves on the agency's website whether any Nestlé milk products they have at home belong to the contaminated batch.
The most common symptoms of cereulide contamination are vomiting and watery diarrhoea shortly after consuming the milk (between 30 minutes and 3 hours). These symptoms are very similar to those of stomach flu. There is currently a lot of norovirus circulating, which causes stomach flu and therefore similar symptoms. Parents whose child has symptoms and has consumed Nestlé milk products should report this to their doctor or GP.
Serious illness due to dehydration caused by cereulide contamination is very rare, according to the Department of Health. Two babies have died in France, but the Department of Health emphasises that there is currently no confirmed link with cereulide. The French authorities are still investigating.
#FlandersNewsService | Illustration © PHOTO ARNAUD CESAR VILETTE / SIPA PRESS
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