>> AFTER GOING THROUGH CANCER
AND TREATMENT WE WILL ALL KINDS
OF ANXIETIES AND CONCERNS,
HOWEVER I NEVER IMAGINED THAT WE
WOULDN’T KNOW IF WE COULD FEED
OUR BABY.
>> IT’S A REAL PROBLEM FOR MOMS
AND ESPECIALLY MOTHERS LIKE
MYSELF WHO HAVE ADOPTED OUR
CHILDREN.
>> MY 10-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AND I
LOADED UP THE CAR AND HIT ALL
THE GROCERY STORES BETWEEN HERE
AND CHATTANOOGA AND NORTH
GEORGIA, AND TO TRY AND BUY UP
AS MANY CANS AS WE COULD WITHOUT
BUYING IT ALL.
>> YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO DRIVE
FOUR HOURS ROUND TRIP FOR
FORMULA.
>> PARENTS MORE DESPERATE BY THE
DAY, INFANT FORMULA SHORTAGE.
DR. NICOLE SAPHIER, TELL PARENTS
WHAT THEY NEED TO DO IN THE DIRE
SITUATIONS.
LET’S PUT UP, DOC, THE AMOUNT
OF, I MEAN, HOW MUCH THIS OUT OF
STOCK WITH BABY FORMULA THING
HAS ACCELERATED.
NOVEMBER OF 2021, 11% OF STORES
REPORTED BEING OUT OF FORMULA.
WEEK OF APRIL 3RD, UP TO 31%.
APRIL 24TH, 40% WERE OUT OF
STOCK.
THIS IS A CRISIS.
>> UNDOUBTEDLY, JOHN.
FIVE MONTHS OF AGE, ONLY 15% OF
INFANTS ARE EXCLUSIVELY BREAST
FED, 85% OF CHILDREN ARE RELYING
ON SOME LEVEL OF FORMULA FOR
THEIR NUTRITION.
AND WHILE THE SUPPLY CHAIN
ISSUES HAS CERTAINLY EXACERBATED
THE FORMULA SHORTAGES, ABBOTT
ALSO HAD A VOLUNTARY RECALL
EARLIER THIS YEAR WITH THE
F.D.A. STILL PENDING LOOKING AT
THEIR FACTORY.
WE NEED ABBOTT MANUFACTURING
CAPACITY TO BE UP AND RUNNING TO
GET OUT THIS SUPPLY.
BUT JOHN, THERE ARE SOME
ALTERNATIVES.
IF YOU FIND YOU CANNOT GET
FORMULA FOR YOUR CHILD, FIRST
THING YOU SHOULD DO, YOU SHOULD
ALWAYS CONTACT YOUR OBGYN, THEY
WILL HAVE FORMULA, SAMPLES
THERE.
HOSPITALS, FORMULA FOOD BANKS
THERE MAY BE SUPPLIES OUT THERE.
PEDIATRICIANS CAN OFFER GREAT
ADVICE ON SOME ALTERNATIVES FOR
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF SIX
MONTHS ARE EXCLUSIVELY BREAST
FED OR FORMULA, THOSE ARE THE
CRITICAL ONES.
BUT SIX MONTHS AND OLD, WHEN YOU
INTRODUCE SOLID FOODS, THERE ARE
SOME ALTERNATIVES SUCH AS
COCONUT WATER AND PEDIALITE FOR
A COUPLE OF DAYS, BUT NOT A
LONG-TERM SOLUTION AND WE NEED
TO MAKE SURE THEY GET WHAT THEY
NEED.
IT’S ATTEMPTING FOR WATER AND
COW’S MILK BUT UNDER 12 MONTHS
IT DOES NOT GIVE THEM THE IRON
AND VITAMIN C AND OTHER THINGS
THEY NEED.
>> SOME PARENTS TRY TO FORMULATE
THEIR OWN FORMULA, WHAT DO YOU
SAY TO THOSE PARENTS?
>> LISTEN, JOHN, PARENTS KNOW
THEIR CHILDREN BETTER THAN
ANYBODY ELSE.
HOWEVER, NOT EVERYBODY -- NOT
EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS WHAT
INFANTS NEED.
NOT JUST MINI ADULTS, NOT LIKE
YOU CAN PUT IN YOUR DINNER AND A
BLENDER AND FEED IT TO THE
CHILD.
THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT COULD
BE TOXIC TO THEM IN QUANTITIES,
WHY FORMULA AND BABY FOOD IS HEF
HEAVILY REGULATED.
YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE
GIVING YOUR CHILD SOMETHING THAT
IS SAFE AND WHILE MOST THINGS
WILL BE OK, I CAN TELL YOU THAT
EVEN SMALL DOSES OF A FEW THINGS
CAN BE TOXIC TO CHILDREN, AND
POTENTIALLY LETHAL.
>> ALL RIGHT, SO MAKE SURE YOU
STAY IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH YOUR
PEDIATRICIAN ON ALL THIS. AND
ANOTHER ISSUE PARENTS ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT, THAT IS THE
NUMBER OF CASES OF HEPATITIS
AMONG CHILDREN WORLDWIDE.
IT WAS IDENTIFIED LAST WEEK AS
SOME 320 COUNTRIES AROUND THE
WORLD.
LIKELY GROWN FROM THERE.
HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, PUT
THIS UP ON THE SCREEN, 109
CASES, FIVE DEATHS, 90% OF THE
CHILDREN WERE HOSPITALIZED.
14% HAD TO RECEIVE A LIVER
TRANSPLANT, AND THIS IS AN
INTERESTING STATISTIC HERE,
GREATER THAN 50% OF THEM HAD AN
INFECTION WITH AN ADENOVIRUS.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS AND
HOW REQUEST I CANNILY IT’S
SPREADING.
>> INTERESTINGLY, JOHN, IT MEANS
INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER.
IT’S MOST COMMONLY CAUSED BY
HEPATITIS VIRUSES, A, B, C, D
AND E.
INTERESTINGLY, ALL OF THESE
CASES NONE WERE CAUSED BY ONE OF
THOSE HEPATITIS VIRUSES.
WHAT IS CAUSING THAT.
HALF THE CHILDREN IN THE UNITED
STATES, WHICH THAT NUMBER IS
ABOUT 109, HALF OF THEM HAD
ADENOVIRUS, MOST KIDS GET, THE
STOMACH, YOU SEE THEM SNIFFLING
AND A STOMACH BUG, IT’S A VERY
COMMON VIRUS.
IT’S NOT, IT’S A NONREPORTABLE
VIRUS AND DOCTORS DON’T EVEN
TEST IT.
50% OF THE CHILDREN HAVE TESTED
POSITIVE FOR THAT, SOME CASES
INTERNATIONALLY HAVE ALSO TESTED
POSITIVE FOR THAT, SO THEY ARE
LOOKING AT THAT CLOSELY.
ONE OF THE CONCERNS WITH THE
SHELTERING IN PLACE AND THE
KEEPING CHILDREN OUT OF SOCIAL
SETTINGS WE DAMPENED OUR IMMUNE
SYSTEMS, SO IT’S POSSIBLE THEY
HAVE AN EXACERBATED OR MORE
SEVERE RESPONSE TO THE COMMON
VIRUSES BECAUSE OF THAT.
AND ALSO ABLE TO EXCLUDE SARS
CO-TWO, IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAJORITY OF
CASES AND THE AVERAGE AGE OF
CHILDREN GETTING THIS IS ABOUT
TWO, SO THERE HAVE BEEN SOME
FEARS IT’S CAUSED BY THE COVID
VACCINE BUT THE OVERWHELMING
MAJORITY OF CHILDREN DIAGNOSED
WITH THIS PEDIATRIC HEPATITIS
ARE TOO YOUNG TO HAVE BEEN
VACCINATED.
>> John: IN THE U.K., A
SIGNIFICANT CLUSTER, PUBLIC
HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE EXAMINING A
POSSIBLE CONNECTION WITH DOGS.
>> THE BEST THING, JOHN, KEEP
YOUR KIDS HEALTHY, ACTIVE, GOOD
DIET, EXERCISE, AND TAKE THEM TO