Health Canada is reminding parents and caregivers not to feed honey to children under one year old. Honey is the only food in Canada that has been linked to infant botulism according to Health Canada officials.
Infant botulism is a disease that is caused by a food poisoning bacterium that is sometimes found in honey.
The bacterium affects children under the age of one because they have not yet developed the helpful bacteria in their intestines that act as a defense against the harmful spores that cause botulism. The disease is very rarely found in infants over one year of age.
The bacteria that causes botulism does not change the colour, odour, or taste of food and is not destroyed by heat, or cooking. In random sampling, the bacterial spores have been found in less than 5 per cent of honey produced in Canada.
There have only been 38 reported cases of infant botulism in Canada from 1979 to 2010 but over 70 cases of infant botulism are reported in the US every year.
Symptoms of infant botulism include weak muscles, constipation, irritability, trouble breathing, lack of facial control, and loss of head control according to the Health Canada website.
If an infant displays any of these symptoms after ingesting honey, parents and caregivers should contact a doctor.
Botulism is treatable and most babies with the disease spend a few days in the hospital monitored by doctors, most infants do not need antibiotics and usually make a complete recovery.
Parents are being warned to never feed infants honey and never to add it to baby food or use on a soother.
The knowledge that honey has been liked to botulism has been around for years but Health Canada sent out the reminder as part of their ongoing public communication program, said Leslie Meerburg, a media relation’s officer with Health Canada.
Health Canada updates food safety and food handling tips on their website twice a month and the tips often focus on general risks to the public, said Meerburg.
