Belgian authorities are examining suspected cases of infants falling ill after consuming recalled Nestle baby formula, amid warnings that confirmed infections may be underestimated due to limited testing requirements.
Belgian health authorities are investigating reports of babies who may have become sick after consuming contaminated Nestle baby formula, following a nationwide recall that has now widened across multiple continents.
The Flemish Department of Healthcare said the number of affected infants in Flanders may be higher than currently known. Spokesperson Joris Moonens told broadcaster VRT that doctors are not required to test for cereulide, the bacterial toxin at the centre of the recall, meaning potential cases may go undetected. The toxin can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
The region’s first confirmed case was reported on 23 January. Since then, authorities have urged doctors to report any infant who consumed recalled formula and displays related symptoms. Moonens said the confirmed total is likely an “underestimation”.
Belgium’s Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FAVV) is reviewing around 20 reports from parents whose babies fell ill after using recalled products. Spokesperson Helene Bonte said the agency can collect leftover powder from households for laboratory analysis.
Nestle initially retrieved some products from Belgian homes but later halted the practice. The recall has since expanded internationally. French companies Danone and Lactalis have withdrawn items after cereulide was detected in ingredients from a shared supplier. Nestle said the affected products were distributed in more than 50 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and Africa.
In a video message, Nestle CEO Philipp Navratil apologised to parents and described the incident as “the largest preventive recall in Nestle’s history.”
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province. A man died of the v...
The U.S. will impose "never seen before" measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, Washington's Treasury Secreta...
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to abandon its next planned electromagnetic aircraft launch sy...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The Democratic Republic of Congo says the number of confirmed Ebola cases has risen to nearly 4,500, including more than 2,060 deaths. Delayed detection, weak surveillance, funding shortages and conflict have allowed the virus to spread faster than in any previous epidemic at the same stage.
Australia warned on Monday (3 August) of a wider spread of H5N1 bird flu after its first confirmed mass mortality event among seabirds killed about 50 greater crested terns off the coast of South Australia, south of Adelaide.
Cancer patients in Sudan are struggling to access life-saving treatment as soaring medication costs, power shortages and damaged hospital infrastructure deepen the country's healthcare crisis after more than three years of war.
The world risks a resurgence of the HIV epidemic after international funding fell by nearly a fifth last year, according to a new report from UNAIDS, which warned that decades of progress against the disease could be reversed without renewed global support.
A global shift towards healthier diets, more efficient farming and reduced food waste could cut greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture-related land-use change by 85% by 2050, according to a study published last week in the journal Nature.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment