Contaminated milk food claimed its second victim with another infant's death coming to light yesterday, as the number of babies diagnosed with kidney stones rose to 1,253.
Yesterday's Ministry of Health (MOH) announcement more than doubled the earlier figure of 580 kids, who were diagnosed with kidney stones after being fed the adulterated Sanlu product.
Their number could rise further as the search for more infants fed Sanlu milk food spread across the country's rural areas.
The condition of 53 of the ailing kids is critical, and 340 of them have been admitted to hospital. The rest have either been treated in out-patient departments or outside hospitals, and some of them have recovered, Vice-Minister of Health Ma Xiaowei told a news conference.
Both the deaths were reported from Gansu province: a 5-month-old boy died in May and an 8-month-old girl in July.
Wang Yu, a division director in charge of MOH's medical administration, said the ministry linked the two deaths with Sanlu's product after the scandal broke out.
The MOH has ordered all hospitals to treat the ailing infants free of any charge.
The milk food of Hebei-based Sanlu Group, a leading dairy product firm, was contaminated with melamine, a chemical that makes milk appear rich in protein. The chemical was used in contravention of a government ban on its use in food processing.
About 10,000 infants, fed Sanlu's milk food, had undergone medical tests till 8 am yesterday, Ma said.
Vice-Premier Li Keqiang, overseeing the case, ordered medical staff to do their best to ensure that "no more infants died" from the poisoned milk food.
Gansu, Jiangsu and Hubei provinces have reported the highest number of suffering children, as such reports poured in from more than 10 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.
Ma said the infants would be given the best possible medical treatment in hospitals above the county level, which are well-equipped to handle such cases.
Ding Jie, an expert on infant kidney diseases with China Medical Association, said the damage to the kidney caused by the contaminated milk could be cured by timely treatment.
"Some of the ailing infants are recovering well after receiving treatment it is important to get those babies to a hospital in time," said Ding, who is also deputy dean of the First Hospital under Peking University.
Media reports have quoted Health Minister Chen Zhu as saying that the number of victims could rise sharply in the coming days as more parents take their children for medical check-ups.
In Gansu, the number of infants diagnosed with kidney stones rose sharply from 69 on September 11 to 140 in the next three days, with most of the victims coming from rural areas and being below three years.
The ministry has coordinated medical resources well and has made all preparations for the treatment of the ailing kids.
Source: China Daily
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