5 Signs Your Child Has A Salmonella Infection

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 100 cases of salmonella in 33 states, including three in Texas, following a recall of Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal. Thirty people have been hospitalized as of yesterday afternoon.

The CDC recommends people not eat this cereal and retailers not sell any Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal at this time because it might be contaminated with salmonella and could make people sick.

Justin Smith, M.D., a pediatrician at Cook Children’s Trophy Club office, said that salmonella is one of the most common bacterial causes of infections he sees in his office and it is a “fairly frequent cause” of severe diarrhea and abdominal pain in children.

Symptoms that might alert parents they should call a doctor include:

1. Severe vomiting with decreased urine frequency or other signs of dehydration.
2. Fever of more than 102.
3. Blood or mucous in the stool.
4. Severe belly pain.
5. Diarrhea that lasts more than one week.

“If you suspect your child has salmonella, your pediatrician can run stool studies to confirm the diagnosis,” Dr. Smith said. “This may not be necessary if there are known cases that the child has been exposed to. The infection will typically go away on its own in seven days or less. Most healthy children do not require antibiotics. I do not routinely recommend anti-diarrheal medications in children because they can prolong symptoms with some infections.”

If you suspect your child has one of these infections, Dr. Smith said parents should consult with their doctor and keep them out of daycare until the pediatrician is sure they will not put other children are risk.

The Kellogg Company recalled all Honey Smacks products that were on the market within the cereal’s one-year shelf-life on June 14, 2018. The CDC stated that even products with earlier dates could also potentially be contaminated.

In its press release, Kellogg Company states that none of their other products are impacted by the recall. “Kellogg launched an investigation with the third-party manufacturer who produces Honey Smacks immediately after being contacted by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding reported illnesses,” Kellogg wrote in its release.

The CDC has this advice for consumers and retailers:

• Do not eat any Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal, regardless of package size or best-by date. Check your home for it and throw it away, or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. The Kellogg Company recalled the cereal on June 14, 2018.

• Retailers should not sell or serve Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal.

• Even if some of the cereal has been eaten and no one got sick, throw the rest of it away or return it for a refund.

• If you store cereal that looks like Kellogg’s Honey Smacks in a container without the packaging and don’t remember the brand or type, throw it away.

• Thoroughly wash the container with warm, soapy water before using it again, to remove harmful germs that could contaminate other food.

Illnesses due to the outbreak have been reported from March 3, 2018 to July 2, 2018. Ill people range in age from less than 1 year to 94. No deaths have been reported.