New Mexico health officials warn of botulism outbreak linked to baby formula

New Mexicans should be on the lookout for containers of ByHeart organic baby formula after it was linked to an infant botulism outbreak across the country, state health officials said Thursday.

There are no confirmed reports of infant botulism in New Mexico, the state Department of Health said, though the product has been linked to 15 cases in 12 states.

Botulism is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition caused by a type of bacteria in food or contaminated wounds, according to the Mayo Clinic.

In infants, signs of botulism typically begin 18 to 36 hours after the toxin enters the baby’s body. Symptoms include constipation, floppy movements due to muscle weakness, poor feeding, weak sucking, a weak or altered cry, lethargy, difficulty breathing, droopy eyelids and sluggish pupils.

If untreated, symptoms may cause paralysis and death. Parents should seek medical attention if they believe their infant has botulism and dispose of any ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula.

The outbreak began in August, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affecting infants less than a year old in Arizona, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington. No deaths have been reported.

Since August, 84 babies nationwide have been treated for botulism, according to the CDC, and 36 of them consumed powdered formula. More than 40% of the babies with botulism who consumed powdered formula had ingested ByHeart products, the agency reported.

ByHeart co-founders Mia Funt and Ron Belldegrun announced a voluntary recall of all of their products on Monday in a statement posted to the company’s website.

“We are so sorry for the immense anxiety and fear that we have been causing you these past few days,” the co-founders wrote. “As parents and as founders, that is the absolute last thing we would ever want to do.”