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Hear Kamau interview pediatrician, Dr. Jamie Griffin, on how to prevent infantile botulism
There aren't many available methods of preventing botulism in infants, however , the most effective way to avoid it is keeping your infant away from honey. Honey is the one dietary reservoir of C. botulinum spores thus far definitely linked to infant botulism by both laboratory and epidemiologic evidence. To date, 35 instances worldwide are known in which C. botulinum spores have been found in the actual honey fed to an affected infant before the onset of illness. In each instance, the toxin type of the spores in the honey matched the toxin type of the C. botulinum that caused the infant's illness; the probability that such perfect concordance occurred by chance is less than 1 in 10 billion. C. botulinum spores have been found in the honey from several different countries. For these reasons and because honey is not nutritionally essential, all major pediatric, public health, and honey industry agencies in the United States have joined in the recommendation that honey not be fed to infants. So in conclusion, you should avoid feeding honey to any infant below the age of 12 months.
Additional Community Resources:
Contact your primary care physician: If your child is exhibiting any of the following symptoms, please contact your pediatrician.
Difficulty swallowing.
Muscle weakness.
Double vision.
Drooping eyelids.
Blurry vision.
Slurred speech.
Difficulty breathing.
Difficulty moving the eyes.
Paralysis
Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA)
Download our poster below to share with your friends to warn them about the dangers of giving babies honey!
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