Washington: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently investigating a widespread outbreak of infant botulism across ten states, prompting a recall of specific lots of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula. The agency has strongly advised parents and caregivers to cease use of the formula and to seek medical attention should infants exhibit symptoms associated with botulism, such as constipation, poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing, and respiratory difficulties.

According to Anadolu Agency, this health alert follows reports of 13 infants affected by the outbreak in states including Arizona, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported at this time.

ByHeart, the manufacturer of the infant formula, has responded by announcing a voluntary recall of two batches of their product. The recall decision was made "out of an abundance of caution" after consultation with the FDA. The company emphasized that there is currently no direct evidence linking their formula to the illnesses, noting that botulism is exceptionally rare in dairy products or infant formula.