The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a baby formula recall on Thursday, February 17, for three powdered infant food due to bacterial contamination. A mother in Virginia, however, was placed in a difficult position because she could no longer source out one of the baby formulas her teenage son needed for his sustenance.
Mom Claire Rowan's 16-year-old boy, Will Rowan, only eats EleCare Jr., a hypoallergenic baby formula mainly used for kids with protein allergies and gastrointestinal conditions. However, the teenager suffers from Crohn's disease and several other conditions like eosinophilic, esophagitis, and gastroenteritis, which makes it hard for him to eat proper food.
The mom said that nothing gets in her son's mouth except for EleCare Jr., which he eats through a feeding tube. The teenager would occasionally try other food to check his food tolerance but this meant he could risk suffering from anaphylaxis as he is allergic to almost any food.
Baby Formula Recall Means No More EleCare in Stores
Over the weekend, their regular delivery of 60 cans of the baby formula didn't arrive due to the baby formula recall. Desperate, Claire turned to social media to ask for help and alternatives for Will. The mother said they will drive anywhere just to get the food.
"Our choices are no food or likely anaphylaxis so we are putting this out to our community for any help we can get," she wrote, per WUSA9.
Soon, Claire's post became viral as it was re-shared in other communities. Friends also helped the family source out a usable and safe baby formula. In the end, the Rowans were able to acquire four and a half non-contaminated cans of baby food that will help Will get through a few more days until his doctor provides him with his new food plan.
FDA's Baby Formula Recall
Per the FDA's advisory, some batches of EleCare Jr., EleCare Infant, Similac Total Comfort, Similac Advance, Similac for Spit Up, Similac Sensitive, and Alimentum are not safe for digesting. These formulas, produced by Abbott Nutrition's Sturgis facility in Michigan, have an expiration date of April 2022 and contain K8, SH or Z2 in its product codes along with the digits 22 through 37.
According to FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas, they are aware that many families solely rely on these products for their children's condition, hence the need for the baby product recall and an immediate resolution to the product's availability. The FDA also made it clear that only powdered form of these products is affected. Families may still use the liquid formulation if they prefer.
The products included in the baby formula recall have apparently gotten complaints from other consumers who said that their children suffered serious infection from drinking the baby formula. Preliminary investigations showed that the powered forms were likely contaminated by a Cronobacter sakazakii bacterium. Symptoms of the infection include fever, diarrhea, abdominal pains and cramps, and stomach ache, which could progress into meningitis and sepsis.
