Dead Holloman baby may have had rare sickness

[unhappycamper]

Dead Holloman baby may have had rare sickness
By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Dec 4, 2008 19:15:33 EST

The November death of an infant at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., could be linked to a rare bacterial infection.

On Nov. 11, a 7-month-old boy was pronounced dead at Holloman’s Champion Regional Medical Center. The child’s parents brought him to the hospital after finding the infant unresponsive in their base home, a Holloman release said.

The New Mexico Department of Health looked into the death and determined a blood and central nervous infection caused by a bacteria, Enterobacter sakazakii, likely caused the infection

Determining the source of the infection is part of an ongoing investigation, a department spokesman said. Another New Mexican infant was recently hospitalized with the same infection, but research linked the illness to a different strain of E. sakazakii, the department said.

Investigations in other states found powdered milk formula contaminated with the bacteria, however with most infections, investigators could not document a connection between baby formula and the infection, a New Mexico Health Department statement said.


Article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/12/aiforce_holloman_infant_death_120408w/%2e