A French mother has accused the baby formula milk company of giving her three months old daughter stomach worms. The three-month-old daughter reportedly threw up a parasitic worm which measures equal to the index finger of an adult person.
This is the second case that has been reported. Before this, another family using the same formula milk company to their child found a living larva of the parasitic worm inside one of the containers.
The mother has filed a police complaint against the company. The three-month-old baby girl started to have a high fever and was taken to the hospital emergency. She received emergency medical care but after a few days, she vomited a parasitic worm of size 6cm to 7cm.
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The worm was later on checked by the hospital which confirmed that it was a parasitic worm and came from a food source. The mother has accused the formula milk company of this worm infestation after two more cases came to the media which implies the same situation.
The French newspaper confirmed two more cases of similar nature, one of which was reported from Puy-de-Dome in central France and another from the southwestern Landes area.
Many of the formula milk containers are returned back to the company for checking them for worms. There are many hypotheses that can answer how these babies end up having parasitic worm. One of the main concerns is the substandard transportation services or poor storage conditions which allowed the formula milk container to develop larvae.
Typically, the formula milk never received exposure to the air during its manufacturing and packaging which reduces the chances of any living growth to zero. The companies follow below 2% oxygen level which makes it impossible for any organism to grow inside the boxes. But in terms of transportation and storage, there are various concerns that need an answer.
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While parasitic infestations are common in children, they are rare in infants because they are unable to eat anything contaminated on their own. However, it doesn’t mean that the risk for them is low, they are also at high risk of parasitic infections.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates all children to be at a high risk of giardiasis which is a parasitic infection. It shows up as fever, diarrhea and is transmitted through the feces contaminated with the parasite.
It also reports pinworm infections also called enterobiasis to be common in young children but most of them are of school-going age. In addition to this, all children are at a high risk of head lice and scabies, and both of these are parasitic infections transmitted from an infected person.
Different activities such as eating the food after dropping it on the floor, swimming, interaction with other contaminated children, and exposure to pets can end up giving parasitic infections to the children. However, the role of parents should not be ignored in this regard. The parental negligence and contaminated baby food can also be behind giving parasitic infections to young children.
