June 29 (UPI) — U.S. federal health officials will soon start tracking infant illnesses caused by cronobacter, a rare but deadly bacteria that prompted last year’s baby formula shortage.
The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, which advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announced Thursday in a statement that it has approved a recommendation to add invasive cronobacter infant infections to the list of diseases that the federal health agency receives notifications on.
According to the CDC, cronobacter sakazakii is a naturally occurring germ that can live in dry goods, such as powdered infant formula, powdered milk, herbal teas and starches. Though rare, cronobacter infections can result in death, especially for babies younger than 2 months or who were born prematurely.
Cronobacter bacteria was an exasperating factor in last year’s baby formula shortage that saw the Biden administration scramble to import the foodstuff from other countries after the bug prompted a U.S. plant to shutter for months and bottles of potentially contaminated product to be recalled.
the CSTE said that the position statement its council approved also establishes standardized criteria for case identification and case counting to be used for public health surveillance purposes while recommending for the public reporting of confirmed and probable cases.
“These efforts will assist public health agencies in quantifying and identifying the cause of cronobacter infections and, coupled with education efforts, will help protect the health of those musth vulnerable,” CSTE Executive Director Janey Hamilton said in a statement. “Ultimately, we want these infections to be prevented.”
