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As cases of potentially deadly botulism in babies who drank ByHeart infant formula continue to grow, state officials say they are still finding the recalled product on some store shelves. Meanwhile, the company reported late Wednesday that laboratory tests confirmed that some samples of formula were contaminated with the type of bacteria that has sickened more than 30 babies in the outbreak. Tests by an independent food safety laboratory found Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that produces toxins that can lead to potentially life-threatening illness in babies younger than 1, the company said on its website. ByHeart officials said they notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of the findings but did not specify how many samples were tested or how many were positive. We are working to investigate the facts, conduct ongoing testing to identify the source, and ensure this does not happen to families again, ByHeart said on its website. The FDA did not immediately respond to questions about the findings. The lab results come as investigators in at least three states found ByHeart formula still for sale even after the New York-based company recalled all products nationwide, officials told The Associated Press. At least 31 babies in 15 states who drank ByHeart formula have been hospitalized and treated for infantile botulism since August, federal health officials said Wednesday. They range in age from about 2 weeks to about 6 months, with the most recent case reported on Nov. 13. No deaths have been reported. In Oregon, nine of more than 150 stores checked still had the formula on shelves this week, a state agriculture official said. In Minnesota, investigators conducted 119 checks between Nov. 13 and Nov. 17 and removed recalled products from sale at four sites, an agriculture department official said. An Arizona health official also said they found the product available. Businesses and consumers should remain alert, Minnesota officials said in a statement. No affected product should be sold or consumed, they wrote. Investigators with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducted inspections at ByHeart manufacturing plants in Allerton, Iowa, and Portland, Oregon. No results from the inspections have been reported. California officials previously confirmed the germ that can lead to illness in an open can of ByHeart formula fed to a baby who fell ill. Infant botulism, which can cause paralysis and death, is caused by a type of bacteria that forms spores that germinate in a baby’s gut and produce a toxin. Symptoms can take up to 30 days to develop and include constipation, poor feeding, a weak cry, drooping eyelids, or a flat facial expression. Babies can develop weakness in their limbs and head and may feel floppy. They can have trouble swallowing or breathing. ByHeart had been manufacturing about 200,000 cans of formula per month. It was sold online or at retail stores such as Target and Walmart. A Walmart spokesperson said the company swiftly issued a restriction that prevented sale of the formula, removed the product from stores, and notified consumers who had bought it. Customers can visit any store for a refund of the formula, which sold for about $42 per can. Federal and state health officials are concerned that some parents and caregivers may still have ByHeart products in their homes. They are advising consumers to stop using the product including formula in cans and any single-serve sticks. They also suggest marking it DO NOT USE and keeping it for at least a month in case a baby develops symptoms. In that case, the formula would need to be tested. The California health department operates the Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program, which tracks cases and distributes treatment for the disease. Officials there have launched a public hotline at 833-398-2022, which is staffed with health officials from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. The new hotline was created after calls from hundreds of parents and caregivers flooded a different, longstanding hotline for doctors to discuss suspected infant botulism cases, officials said. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Jonel Aleccia, AP health writer
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In utterly bleak news, AI Overviews are now more accurate about the lack of a relationship between autism and vaccines than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On Wednesday, November 19, the CDC published an updated web page that defies broad scientific consensus and even its own past statements. The page now alleges that vaccines do not cause autism is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism. It must be said as early and clearly as possible that there is no link between vaccines and autism, as overwhelming data has demonstrated. Despite that fact, the first paragraph of the CDCs guidance on vaccines and autism now reads, “Scientific studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines contribute to the development of autism.” The update exploits a loophole that allows for fearmongering to continue, experts say. The CDC can justify changing its stance despite overwhelming evidence by exploiting a quirk of logic: you cant prove something never happens, writes Dr. Jake Scott, a board-certified infectious diseases specialist and clinical associate professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Scientists cant prove vaccines never cause autism because proving a universal negative is logically impossible.” He adds that “the public can trust the evidence because it has shown time and time again that there is no link between vaccines and autism.” Debra Houry, the CDCs former chief medical officer, told the Washington Post that the CDC’s updated language “misrepresents decades of research.” Newly updated page tops Google search results A Google search of vaccine autism brings an AI Overview stating that Scientific evidence from numerous large-scale studies has overwhelmingly demonstrated no causal link between vaccines and autism. The AI-generated result cites the CDC, World Health Organization, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. At the same time, the CDCs newly updated page is one of the first links shown on Google after years of building up search credibility. According to its priority statement, the CDC claims that it must lead with integrity and serves the American publicindividuals, families, and communitieswho rely on accurate data, health guidance, and preventive measures. Yet it has published a falsehood that appears to bend to the will of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has peddled anti-vax conspiracies along with an unproven link between taking Tylenol while pregnant and babies developing autism. Kennedy was sworn in as U.S. health secretary in Februaryand his influence has been swift. The next month, news broke that the CDC planned to undertake a large study into the link between vaccines and autism just as declines in vaccinations fueled measles outbreaks in children. Twisting an old headline The newly updated CDC guidance is, even more confusingly, still titled, Vaccines do not cause autism.” It comes with an asterisk that the headline only remains because of an agreement with Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, to keep it on the CDC website. In February, Cassidy spoke in favor of Kennedy as U.S. health secretary, critically stating that the latter committed that he would work within the current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems, and not establish parallel systems.” Cassidy continued: “CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism. The Republican senator even emphasized earlier in his speech that the evidence shows that vaccines do not cause autism. Yet now the headline is followed with efforts to disprove the scientific evidence behind it. Fast Company has reached out to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Senator Cassidy for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
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Maybe your car broke down, your computer was stolen, or you had a surprise visit to urgent care. Emergencies are inevitable, but you can prepare to deal with them by building an emergency fund. There are so many things that happen in our lives that we dont expect and most of them require financial means to overcome, said Miklos Ringbauer, a certified public accountant. The industry standard is to save three to six months of expenses in an emergency fund. However, this can feel daunting if you live paycheck to paycheck or if you have debt. But if youre in either of these situations, its even more crucial to build a financial safety net that can help you in times of crisis. Emergency funds allow you to prevent further debt, said Jaime Eckels, certified financial planner and wealth management leader for Plante Moran Financial Advisors. Suppose youre paying multiple credit cards and other loans. In that case, Rachel Lawrence, head of advice and planning for Monarch Money, a financial planning and budgeting app, recommends that you make the minimum payments while you build your emergency fund. Once youve hit an amount that feels right for your lifestyle, you can go back and continue tackling your debt more aggressively. Whether you want to start an emergency fund or create better habits while you save, here are some expert recommendations: Start with small milestones The idea of saving for three to six months worth of expenses can be daunting, so its best to start with a smaller milestone. Lawrence recommends starting with a goal of saving $1,000, then moving on to save one, three, and six months of expenses. The way you approach this goal can vary depending on your income and your budget. But starting with small, attainable goals can help you build an emergency fund without feeling financially strained. Starting small is okay. Even if its $20 right out of your paycheck, those small things can add up, Eckels said. She recommends building your emergency fund in a separate account from your regular savings account, ideally a high-yield savings account, which offers a higher interest rate than a traditional savings account. Decide on the appropriate amount for your life Knowing how much to save for your emergency fund depends on your life situation. Lawrence suggests you gauge your own financial responsibilities to estimate how much your ideal emergency fund should be. For single professionals with no significant financial responsibilities, such as a mortgage or a car, the amount might be $2,000 to $3,000. At the same time, people with children and several pets might aim to save for six months expenses. There’s no one-shoe-fits-all solution. Everybody is different, especially if you have variable expenses on a monthly basis, Ringbauer said. Lawrence recommends that self-employed people maintain two emergency funds: one to buffer low-income months and another for true emergencies. To build your buffer account, Lawrence recommends setting aside some money during high-earning months. You set that amount aside in your buffer account until you have two or three months of the amount that you want, she said. Because that way any month where you have less money, you go pull from the buffer and its no big deal. Automate your savings Eckels recommends setting up automatic savings as a low-effort way to build your emergency fund. Scheduling your savings to be withdrawn from your bank account as soon as your paycheck arrives is an effective way to build a savings habit without having to transfer the money manually. I always tell people if it was never in your bank account, you never had it, right? Eckels added. She also recommends that her clients open a separate account, one that isnt at the same bank as their checking account, so they arent tempted to transfer the money in a non-emergency. Make it visual As youre making progress towards your emergency fund goal, making it visual can help you stay motivated, according to Lawrence. She recommends getting creative with how you track your progress, ideally with a method that brings you joy. You want your brain to get rewarded as often as possible when youre seeing a bunch of progress, she said. Some options to make your progress visual include drawing a thermometer-like tracker and keeping it updated as you advance toward your goal, documenting your progress on a habit-building tracker on your phone, or using a budgeting app with a tracking tool. Save windfalls If your budget is really tight and you dont have much wiggle room to set aside money for an emergency fund, Lawrence recommends saving windfalls. Unexpected chunks of money that maybe you werent expecting, like tax refunds or getting a third paycheck when you normally get paid twice a month, or a bonus, those are your best ways to make progress when youre tight otherwise, said Lawrence. In general, Lawrence recommends that people keep 10% of their windfall for themselves and the rest for their emergency fund. With that breakdown, you can both save and feel rewarded by the unexpected income. If you use it, don’t feel guilty Chances are that an emergency will happen, and when it does, you dont need to feel guilty for using your emergency fund, Lawrence said. Instead, its best to think about how youve achieved your goal of building a financial safety net for yourself. You wouldnt feel bad about using your down payment to buy a house, you wouldnt feel bad about saving for retirement, actually to retire, Lawrence said. The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism. Adriana Morga, Associated Press
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