Since the incident of inferior milk powder a few years ago, everyone pays special attention to infant milk powder, although china has implemented a very strict management system for infant formula powder, but the hanging hearts of nursing mothers and fathers have never been put down, and any little wind and grass can stir their tense nerves.
A few days ago, Europe issued an early warning message that a batch of infant formula powder in the Netherlands was contaminated with Enterobacter Hanzaki, and that the milk powder had been sold to many countries, including China. This undoubtedly makes the mothers and fathers who are drinking Dutch milk powder extremely panicked. Who is this Sakazaki Enterobacter and is it a health hazard?
Enterobacter sakazakii (es) is a gram-negative bacillus non-bacillus that lives in the intestines of humans and animals and belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family. They can cause disease to humans and animals under certain conditions, so they are called conditional pathogenic bacteria.
Enterobacter sakazaki can cause the onset of disease in people of any age, and infants under 1 year of age are at high risk, especially newborns, premature infants, low-weight infants and immunocompromised infants are more susceptible to infection, of which formula is the main source of infection for infants with Enterobacter sakazaki.
Enterobacter sakazaki can cause severe neonatal meningitis, enterocolitis, bacteremia, and neurological disorders. In 1961, the United Kingdom first reported two cases of meningitis caused by Enterobacter sakazaki, and then the United States, the Netherlands, Canada and other countries have reported the infection of enterobacter Sakazaki in newborns. Infants infected with Enterobacter sakazaki have a mortality rate of up to 20% to 50%, and surviving infants and young children may also have severe neurological sequelae.
Fortunately, the incidence of Enterobacter sakazaki infection is not high, with the reported incidence in the United States being 1 infection per 100,000 infants. However, the incidence is nearly 10-fold higher in ultra-low birth weight babies with a birth weight of less than 1.5 kg.
Current formula production and processing technology cannot produce sterile products, that is, infant formula is not sterile. In some cases, formulas can be produced contaminated with harmful bacteria, the most important of which are Enterobacter sakazaki and Salmonella, which can cause infectious diseases in infants. Irregular production and processing processes can greatly increase the risk of Enterobacter sakazaki contamination, and it has been reported that the positive rate of Enterobacter Hanzaki in the inferior infant formula powder in Fuyang, which once endangered the health of many infants, was as high as 12.6%.
1. Breastfeeding is preferred
From a nutritional point of view, the benefits of breastfeeding need not be repeated, and are gradually recognized by more and more people. Enterobacter sakazaki also tells us that breastfeeding is still the best option from a safety perspective, keeping babies away from the risks that may be present in formula.
2. Correctly mix milk powder
Maintain good hygiene habits when preparing infant milk powder, wash your hands carefully before flushing, and thoroughly clean and disinfect feeding tools such as bottles.
According to the Guiding Principles for the Safe Preparation, Storage and Handling of Infant Formula jointly issued by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (WHO/FAO) in 2007, the water temperature of infant formula should be no less than 70 °C, and after flushing, it should be quickly cooled to the appropriate temperature with running tap water or cold water bath, and it should be drunk within 2 hours after washing.
3. Choose sterile liquid milk
For high-risk infants, including premature, low-weight or other immunocompromised infants, try to choose sterile liquid formula when possible.
*The image in this article is from the Internet
· Dean of the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
· Member of the National Advisory Committee on Food and Nutrition
· Vice Chairman of the Chinese Nutrition Society
· Member of the Central Science Popularization Work Committee of jiusan society
· Chief Science Communication Expert, China Association for Science and Technology
· Winner of the 2017 Science Communication Award
· Top 10 Science Communicators in 2015
· 2013 China Health Annual General Appraisal List Health Communication Fashion Figures
· Science Communication Person of the Year 2012