Baby formula urgently recalled over salmonella fears

Parents should stop using the baby formula straight away.

The Food Safety Authority Ireland has issued an urgent recall on baby formula over salmonella fears. It is recalling specific batches of the EleCare Simmilac and Alimentum Similac. There are concerns over the possible presence of Salmonella, as well as Cronobacter sakazakii. Luckily, no products in Ireland tested positive for the presence of Cronobacter sakazakii or Salmonella Newport so far. Both Salmonella and Cronobacter sakazakki can cause illness in infants. They can cause fever, sepsis, meningitis, and diarrhea. The FSAI stated, "No products distributed to Ireland have tested positive for the presence of Cronobacter sakazakii or Salmonella Newport. It explained that the Cronobacter sakazakii and Salmonella cannot grow in powdered infant formula. But they can survive for a long period of time if the product temperature is "abused". Conditions like sepsis and meningitis can lead to "serious neurological and developmental issues". They can also be fatal on rare occasions too. "Sepsis and meningitis may include poor feeding, irritability, temperature changes, jaundice (yellow skin and whites of the eyes), and abnormal breaths and movements." The FSAI said pre-term infants, low-birth-weight infants, immunocompromised infants are at a greater risk of infection. They warned that neonates are also at a higher risk. Parents should stop using the affected product immediately and should not feed it to infants. You should also discard the products and ensure your infant does not consume them. Retailers will remove the affected batches from their shelves. Stores will also display recall notices. You can view the affected batch numbers below: