GREENLEAF RESOLUTION ON INFANT BOTULISM PASSES SENATE

HARRISBURG – The Senate has passed a resolution offered by Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf designating November 24 as "Infant Botulism Awareness Day" and encouraging the State Department of Health to establish a public information and education program on the illness.

Greenleaf said he was made aware of the problem of infant botulism when he was contacted by a physician whose three month old daughter was diagnosed with the condition.  Exposure to botulism spores arising from disturbed soil is one of the likely causes of the rare but serious illness. Newborns and children up to one year of age are susceptible to infection from the spores, which can be ingested from honey or inhaled from airborne particles from dust and disturbed soil.  In the vast majority of cases, the children afflicted are between six weeks and six months of age.

More than 90 percent of the reported cases in the United States have occurred in California, Utah, and southeastern Pennsylvania—places where there are high concentrations of Clostridium botulinum spores in the soil.  The intake of these spores can cause paralysis or death as the result of a nerve toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium bolulinum.  The spores can grow in an infant's gastrointestinal tract, causing symptoms such as constipation, mild lethargy, loss of head control, and respiratory insufficiency.  The mainstay of treatment is supportive nutritional and respiratory care. Full recovery may be expected with early recognition and treatment.

The physician whose daughter was afflicted with infant botulism reported that she was hospitalized for a time, but is now recovering.  The likely cause of her illness was airborne spores from disturbed soil, possibly from a nearby construction site.

Infant botulism was first identified in the United States in 1976.  As of 1996, there were 1,400 confirmed cases.  However, it is believed that a number of cases go unreported.

Pennsylvania ranked second in the number of cases from the period 1977 to 1995 with 153 identified cases.  The commonwealth has had 15 confirmed cases of infant botulism to date in 2003.

Besides avoiding the feeding of honey or honey products to children under one year of age, there are no other proven means of avoidance of infection.  "Identifying this disease early is crucial, and the goal of this resolution is to make parents and doctors aware that this problem exists. Newborns—especially those in southeastern Pennsylvania-- should be watched for signs of sickness related to infant botulism.  Parents should seek medical treatment for a child who shows any of the symptoms, Greenleaf said. 

"I hope to enlist the State Health Department in the awareness and education effort," he added.