At least four infants were hospitalised in South Carolina for issues related to the shortage of baby formula in the United States. 

The babies have been admitted to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston either because they fell ill after consuming homemade formulas or because they are not being tolerant of new formulas their parents are using as a substitute, hospital spokesperson Heather M Woolwine told The State Friday.

“Pediatric dieticians are working with the individual child’s care team to find a formula or nutrition that works for him or her based on allergy and caloric needs,” she told the outlet.

“Many of the children we treat have complex health conditions including nutrition so it’s hard to nail down an exact number. But we can safely say at least four have been related to the formula shortage,” she added.

Also Read: Baby formula shortage in US fuels spike in milk bank interest

Hospitals in Memphis and metro Atlanta have also reported hospitalisations due to the formula shortage.

 Dr. Mark Corkins, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, told Newsweek that he is treating two such infants.

“I am angry to be put in a situation that I can’t ‘fix’ for my patients no matter how hard I try. But my primary emotion is sadness, that parents and patients can’t get the formulas that were working so well for them,” he told the outlet. 

Also Read: Abbott, FDA reach agreement to ease baby formula shortage, to reopen Michigan plant

For those unversed, parents in the US are scrambling to find new ways to feed their kids following the nationwide shortage of baby formula.

This shortage was sparked due to product recalls from the manufacturer Abbott Nutrition earlier this year as well as supply chain disruptions and labor shortages due to the coronavirus pandemic.