Two children were admitted to a Tennessee hospital on Tuesday amid the nationwide formula shortage.
The children, who are beyond infancy and have special needs, were reportedly taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis.
“This is a crisis for us in healthcare,” said Dr. Mark Corkins, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. “This is not every child, not normal children, but, literally, the formula recall has led to these children requiring hospitalization.”
One of the children is reportedly a toddler. The other is slightly older and said to be of preschool age.
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Corkins said both have intestinal conditions and cannot tolerate switching formulas.
While they wait for the formula to become available, the children are receiving IV fluids and nutritional support under hospital supervision.
“This recall started in February. Even if you had several weeks of stock, we’re now out of the special formulas,” Corkins said. “So, literally, what we have is what we have. We have some things that we’re trying to find. We’re trying to use some alternatives, but the standard ones, the ones you would think of, there is none to be had.”
On Tuesday, Nestle announced it would fly extra baby formula to the United States as the country looks for ways to resolve the shortage.
The shortage began in July 2021 and became significantly worse last month due to a major Abbott Nutrition manufacturing plant in Michigan closing in February. A Food and Drug Administration investigation had clocked 483 infractions, leading to the closure. Abbott has said it expects the facility to be fully operational within two weeks.
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Doctors have warned parents not to make their own baby formula and not to purchase products the FDA has not approved from other countries.
