Three more baby blood-poisoning cases linked to drip-fed fluid

Three additional cases of blood poisoning linked to a batch of intravenous fluid given to babies have been identified by health officials.

Public Health England (PHE) said yesterday that a batch of a food supplement was “strongly linked” to the death of one baby and the illness of 14 others.

PHE officials have now identified three further cases of septicaemia in babies being treated in neonatal units in hospitals in England – bringing the total number of cases to 18.

The babies, who became unwell last week, are responding to antibiotic treatment, a PHE spokeswoman said.

One case was confirmed at Peterborough City Hospital in Cambridgeshire and two probable cases have been identified at Southend University Hospital and Basildon University Hospital, both in Essex, she said.

The suspected contamination has been traced to a “sourced single raw material ingredient”, the manufacturer said.

Karen Hamling, managing director of ITH Pharma, said it was co-operating fully with the probe into the death of a baby at St Thomas’ Hospital in London and doing everything it could to help investigators establish what happened.

ITH Pharma would not be drawn on details of the material it received from one of its suppliers.

PHE has “strongly linked” the cases with a batch of intravenous liquid called parenteral nutrition made by ITH Pharma.

Speaking outside the company’s north west London base, ITH Pharma managing director Karen Hamling said: “From investigations carried out so far, it would appear the potential contamination is linked to a single sourced raw material ingredient.

“As a mother, as a pharmacist, as someone who has worked for 30 years in healthcare, inside and outside the NHS, I am deeply saddened that one baby has died and 14 others have fallen ill from septicaemia.”