6,244 children sickened by tainted baby formula, three dead
17/9/2008 17:09
Three babies are now dead after drinking melamine-contaminated milk
powder, China's Minister of Health Chen Zhu said in Beijing today.
The third
fatality occurred in southeastern Zhejiang Province.
Chen did not give
further information about the dead infant.
Both of the first two deaths
occurred in northwest Gansu Province. A five-month-old boy died on May 1. An
eight-month-old girl died on July 22.
Both babies were fed with Sanlu formula
and suffered kidney failure.
Aside from the three deaths, a total of 6,244
infants are now confirmed sick after drinking contaminated milk powder.
4,917
infants had minor symptoms and have been discharged from hospitals after
receiving medical treatment. Chen said, the remaining 1,327 babies, the majority
newborns, remain hospitalized. Of those, 158 babies suffered from acute kidney
failure. Chen said 94 were in stable condition.
Most of the babies developed
urinary problems, such as kidney stones, after Sanlu's milk powder for three to
six months.
As of this morning, the health ministry had not received reports
of babies becoming sick after drinking milk powder produced by other
companies.
The health ministry dispatched medical specialists to hospitals
throughout the country to help treat sick babies. Medical institutions are now
required to provide infant patients with free treatment and to report the number
of the tainted milk powder victims on a daily basis.
"We spared no efforts in
providing medical treatment for the infant patients," Chen said, "Generally
speaking, those efforts have proven to be orderly and effective."
Melamine is
a toxic chemical that mainly affects urinary systems. Experts found no evidence,
so far, that the chemical could lead to tumors in human bodies.
"Infant
patients, even those in critical conditions, can recover from the tainted milk
powder-induced diseases if they receive in-time treatment," said Chen.
People
can call 010-12320 for medical consultation if they think their child might be
sick after drinking tainted milk powder.
Xinhua
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