Botulism may cause cot-death

Press, 7 September 1976, Page 16

Botulism may cause cot-death

NZPA Sacramento; Health officials in Sacramento said they may have discovered a possible reason for the unexplained deaths of Thousands of otherwise healths babies every year in their cots. “It is a tremendous dis-; covery.” said the director of; the Health Department of I California Mr J. Lackner, I svhen he told a press conferience of the possible reason—;a previously - unsuspected form of infant botulism. > A health official said the botulism spores — which caused the dreaded cot deaths' did not enter the body in the form of food poisoning, as j jwith adults, but through sucking dirty spoons or toys. Mr Lackner said the botu- | lisrn strain had been dis-; covered in four infants ranging in age from six weeks to; 13 weeks.

He said doctors in California had succeeded in saving the lives of four infants suffering from the disease. One baby was rushed to hospital after it stopped breathing in its mother’s arms. Mr Lackner said “There is no question that we have dis-

[covered a disease. We only raise the question whether the infant botulism might explain the sudden-infant-death syndrome (crib deaths). “We don’t know whether sudden-infant-death syndrome jis one or several diseases. [The question raised by these [findings is: is this a part of I that general syndrome? Is ■this a partial answer? “My own personal feeling is that this is a tremendous (discovery." The findings of the California Health Department Iteam were presented at a (press conference by Dr R. Wood, leader of the departiment’s microbial disease labioratory, and Dr S. S. Amon, from the United States Public Health Service. The listed symptoms of the (newly-discovered illness as constipation, a loss of appe|tite, droopy eyelids, a loss |of facial expression and of I neck and limb muscle strength. “In a word, they appeared floppy,” a department research paper said.

Precautions which should reduce exposure include washing dummies and toys, and washing or peeling the skin of any fruit or vegetables before preparing them for feeding to infants.