Jakarta Mothers Pressure Government on E. sakazakii

Posted on March 4, 2008 by E. Sakazakii Lawyer

Mothers in Jakarta are pressuring the government to disclose which brands of formula milk have been found to be contaminated with the Enterobacter sakazakii bacteria.

The Jakarta Post reports the issue flared up after the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) announced findings that 22 percent of formula milk for infants on the market was infected with the bacteria Enterobacter sakazakii.

The newspaper quoted some of the worried mothers,  who want the government to disclose the brands:

"Since the issue of contaminated formula milk spread last week, I've been worried about my son's health," said Mona, a resident of Cilincing, East Jakarta.

"I hope the government discloses the brand names as soon as possible so the public, especially mothers, do not panic," she added.

Rini, a 36-year-old mother, said the government should also inform the public of the effects of contaminated formula on children.

"It is so confusing. As a mother of a 2-year-old girl, I urge the government to tell us the brand names and the effects of long-term consumption of the contaminated formula. Does it cause autism? Does it cause brain inflammation?" said Rini, who lives in Bekasi.

The Drug & Food Monitoring Agency, according to the Jakarta Post, is studying an additional 96 samples and will have results in about two weeks.  The complete story about the mothers can be found here.

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Enterobacter sakazakii in infant formula

Posted on February 7, 2008 by E. Sakazakii Attorney

The Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) regulates infant formula manufacturers to ensure that all infant formula sold in the United States is safe for babies to consume.  FDA conducts yearly inspections at infant formula manufacturing plants, and collects and analyzes product samples. 

Baby formula can be purchased in either powder, liquid concentrate, or ready-to-feed form.  Powdered infant formula has been identified as the source of E. Sakazakii outbreaks, and adherence to proper formula preparation is important to prevent the growth of any bacteria that could be present in the formula.  According to FDA:

In most cases, it's safe to mix formula using ordinary cold tap water that's brought to a boil and then boiled for one minute and cooled. According to the World Health Organization, recent studies suggest that mixing powdered formula with water at a temperature of at least 70 degree C—158 degrees F—creates a high probability that the formula will not contain the bacterium Enterobacter sakazakii—a rare cause of bloodstream and central nervous system infections. Remember that formula made with hot water needs to be cooled quickly to body temperature—about 98 degrees F—if it is being fed to the baby immediately. If the formula is not being fed immediately, refrigerate it right away and keep refrigerated until feeding.

The FDA fact sheet on infant formula can be found here.

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