Botulism

[Hebeegeebee]

I don't put it on the label but I have a leaflet that goes in the shops which states

"As an advisory, children under 1 year old should not be given honey unless in cooked foods".

 

[clarealdus]

The association between honey and botulism in infants is well established and the UK Food Standards Agency does recommend that a warning message is placed on honey labels.
The reason that infants succumb to botulism after ingesting the spores of C. botulinum is generally accepted to be that their own gut flora is not established sufficiently to prevent the germination of C. botulinum spores in their gut.
An association between bees and C. botulinum is not surprising when you consider that pond/lake and river sediments are all sources of botulism spores as is animal compost. These are places from which bees will take water and thereby deliver spores to the hive.
C. botulinum can dissolve some types of ceratin and is thought by some to be an opportunistic pathogen of insects.
There is also anecdotal evidence that C. botulinum and Paenibacillus larvae genomes have identical regions of DNA which may be indicative of a long and close association between them.

 

[Chris B]

There is also anecdotal evidence that C. botulinum and Paenibacillus larvae genomes have identical regions of DNA which may be indicative of a long and close association between them.

Now that is interesting.
Is it a coincidence that the world hotspot for infant botulism is pretty much the same area that's experienced CCD?

 

[itma]

UK infant botulism in the news today.

Heard (vaguely) a snippet just before the 0630 news on 5Live.
Googled it and (sorry) it is the Daily Wail that has the story.

Nevertheless, best to be aware of what is being said - including "spread by bees"

There is no need for "scares" - like I'm sure I said on this old thread - just don't give honey to infants under a year old, their digestive system simply can't handle it.
Whether you choose to stick a label on every jar remains your choice.

Scare story => http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ting-lives-getting-botulism-eating-honey.html

 

[Ely]

''Babies left fighting for their lives after getting botulism 'from eating honey''

''He had taken the homeopathic remedy before becoming ill, though tests on it showed no trace of botulism.''

''His mother admitted giving him honey at home, though tests on what was left in the jar also failed to detect the botulism bacteria.''


How much do these idiots get paid?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well it seems for some time that the Mail is hell bent on wrecking the British Beekeeping industry - this story, as we would say in Welsh is
'mêl ar ei bysedd' rather apt really!

 

[derekm]

Epidemic'!!!!!!! 11 cases in 30 years

 

[priono]

Honey on a dummy could have killed tot in Scotland

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/scottishnews/2713099/Scottish-baby-contracts-botulism.html


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...sh-baby-contracts-botulism.html#ixzz2EOL7NwzE

.

I can't believe you have to pay for this crap newspaper. they are opinion makers, they just dramatise to get attention

 

[waverider]

More common in the Americas.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

........ and no trace of Botulism in either of the alleged honey based foods fed to the little darlings (in actual fact the homeopathic remedy not only didn't contain traces of botulism, but no honey either!)

I had a really heavy cold last week verging on influenza it came on after I went to the club Monday night maybe the Mail would like to report the health dangers of drinking one pint of Guinness.

I think MBC should step in here with a link to the Welsh Dai Lama's flowchart on reading the mail (works computer won't let me!)

 

[beeno]

It is mentioned at pre-natal and post-natal classes, and is in a lot of new parent advice leaflets so I would suspect 90%+ of parents of under 1 year olds are aware.

Hi harveyzone,
Thank you for contributing that vital information to the forum as most of us on the forum are not likely to attend either a pre-natal or post-natal class. There are a lot of foodstuffs one should not feed to infants, salt being another example, so I don't think some of us should be so sensitive about it. By not having a warning on the honey jar IMHO, that makes us look unprofessional. Watch out for the daughters-in-law you may be sacked from babysitting duties.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

''Babies left fighting for their lives after getting botulism 'from eating honey''

''He had taken the homeopathic remedy before becoming ill, though tests on it showed no trace of botulism.''

''His mother admitted giving him honey at home, though tests on what was left in the jar also failed to detect the botulism bacteria.''


How much do these idiots get paid?

Yup, The Daily Mail has never allowed the facts to get in the way of a good headline!



FACT - no known case (of botulism) has been attributed to honey in the UK - Dr Penny Stanway The Miracle of Honey 2013

CVB

 

[Erichalfbee]

Watch out for the daughters-in-law you may be sacked from babysitting duties.

Thank God........

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It is mentioned at pre-natal and post-natal classes, and is in a lot of new parent advice leaflets so I would suspect 90%+ of parents of under 1 year olds are aware.

And the other 10% only feed them on chips and Macdonalds burgers anyway!

 

[Michael Palmer]

Hasn't milk and honey been fed to infants for just about ever. And don't you think that if honey was a problem for infants that mothers would know? Wouldn't the fact have been handed down from granny to daughter?

I think so.

 

[Erichalfbee]

When my stepdaughter was pregnant for the first time, five years ago, the list of prohibited food for mum-to-be and
infant-to-come was worryingly long.
She was quite anal about it and catering for her was a nightmare.......as is her first born!

 

[Chris B]

In which case it would also be sensible to put a warning on infant formula milk which has a comparable history.

The fact is botulism spores have NEVER been found in UK honey so why is such a blanket unsuitability statement justified?

I was wrong. A quick google will reveal infant formula milk has a much worse history than honey as a potential vector for infant botulism. Big case originating from NZ last year. Honey is an easy target though as we are just small fry compared to the likes of Nestle.

 

[Heather]

Just don't stick lumps of plastic in a baby's mouth! They have so many bacterial problems.. see mothers pick them off a pavement and stick back in a child's mouth. Let them communicate!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

She was quite anal about it and catering for her was a nightmare.....

Should have tried feeding her from the other end - much easier and you don't have to cut up the food so finely

 

[Heather]

When my stepdaughter was pregnant for the first time, five years ago, the list of prohibited food for mum-to-be and
infant-to-come was worryingly long.
She was quite anal about it and catering for her was a nightmare.......as is her first born!

Loads of nonsense quoted now. Make children neurotic too.
Home cook, natural feed and routine ... sorted!

Mind you, had a colicky first born, burped v dilute whiskey fumes over my parents neighbours ... but he is now 44, healthy and not an alcoholic.