Calls to Plunketline Starting to Reduce

Calls to Plunketline Starting to Reduce

Plunket says that the confusion that parents and caregivers have been experiencing regarding the current situation of potential contamination of infant formula appears to be slowly abating.

Brenda Hynes, Plunket General Manager of Service Delivery says calls to PlunketLine are beginning to slow after a peak on Monday.

“On Monday we had a 400% increase in calls and yesterday that reduced to a 220% increase. Call volumes are still high but they are reducing.

“The situation appears to be settling a little. Over the last few days there has been a lot of confusion out there with parents and caregivers not sure which advice they should be following.

“Plunket see 9 out of 10 New Zealand babies so we tend to be the first place people come to when they are anxious about their child’s health and well-being.

“Our field nurses and PlunketLine nurses have worked tremendously hard over the last few days to get accurate and clear information out to the families we deal with”, she says.

“We are continuing to advise parents and caregivers that they should be following the advice of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). MPI is leading the government’s response to this issue and is the official source of information”, she says.

The latest information from the Ministry for Primary Industries, as at 4.30pm on Tuesday 6 August is:

Only two lines of Nutricia Karicare infant formula have been recalled:
·         Nutricia Karicare Stage 1 infant formula (0-6 months) – all batches including sachets
·         Nutricia Karicare Gold+ Stage 2 follow on formula (6-12 months ) – all batches including sachets

Other Karicare products have not been recalled.

This is an evolving situation - please keep referring to http://mpi.govt.nz/food/food-safety/whey-protein-contamination for the most up-to-date official information.

If you are uncertain what to do, call PlunketLine (0800 933 922) to talk to a Plunket nurse. If you are concerned about your child’s health call Healthline (0800 611116), or talk to your family doctor.

For queries about other aspects of this food safety issue, call MPI's consumer helpline: 0800 693 721 or visit www.mpi.govt.nz

ENDS

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