Bill Truesdell wrote:
> Keith Benson wrote:
>> It must be terribl;e to be one of those 15%, especially when it is so 
>> easily preventable.
>>
>>   
> I agree, but the fatality rate for infant botulism is less than 1% in 
> the USA, so even if you get it you have a better chance of survival 
> than most hospitalization causes. 

I know - but it often entails a hospital stay, an infant in distress and 
some pretty scared parents.  Oh, and infant ICU cases are insanely 
expensive.

It is ridiculously easy to avoid those cases caused by honey by simply 
not feeding kids <1 yr old honey.  There are lots of things that sicken 
and kill infants that would not make it on those lists, but this one is 
wasy to avoid.  Maybe I am risk aversive when it comes to my kids.  Call 
me crazy.

I look at it this way - my kids will have plenty of time to enjoy my 
honey from 1 year of age and older.  If there was a huge benefit to 
feeding an infant honey to balance it against that would be one thing, 
but there isn't.

http://www.drgreene.com/21_825.html

some interesting factoids from this article:  "it has been suggested as 
the cause of death in up to 10% of SIDS 
<http://www.DrGreene.com/21_509.html> cases (/Nelson/ /Textbook of 
Pediatrics/; Saunders 1992)."

"When infant botulism is diagnosed, the average Intensive Care Unit stay 
for the baby is about one month, typically including mechanical 
ventilation and continuous tube feedings. This is followed by another 2 
weeks on the hospital ward, with a total hospital cost often exceeding 
$100,000 (/Pediatrics/; Feb 1991). "

So why risk it?

Keith

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