Infantile botulism cases and WIC risks place new families on edge

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Experts say the effects of a record-breaking government shutdown on programs like WIC are still being felt as the holiday season approaches and as a recent outbreak in infantile botulism surfaces in the U.S.

The outbreak is being linked to ByHeart Whole Nutrition organic baby formula which has resulted in 31 reported cases in 15 states in the U.S., according to the CDC.

What is infantile botulism?

Infantile botulism occurs when when a baby swallows Clostridium botulinum spores that grow in the gut and create toxins. Symptoms begin with constipation but are also noticed in children with difficulty feeding, lack head control or have a weak altered cry.

Stephanie Spencer, CEO of Urban Baby Beginnings said that Virginia has not yet reported any cases of infantile botulism.

"So the one thing that people have to recognize is that [infantile botulism] doesn't pop up right away, mostly in babies," she said. "It takes a little bit of time for them to be exposed to Botulism to see some of the signs and symptoms."

Founder and Executive Director of Birth and Color RVA, Kenda Sutton-El told 8News that she has seen an increase in family's calling in regards to the recent outbreak.

"We were overwhelmed with the calls," she said. "We were trying to figure out, 'OK, what does [the] actual social media need to say? What type of statements can we actually put out there? How can we make sure all of our clients really know about the formula?"

Concerns over WIC

Spencer says that, while Virginia is not currently seeing reports of infantile botulism, mothers and families are voicing their concerns in other areas.

"With the government shutdown and the changes with SNAP, I think what people forget is that not everybody receives 100% of their formula through WIC," Spencer said. "And so when SNAP benefits are impacted, what happens is they have to transition to pay for formula [out] of their pocket, which they were using heavily [for] SNAP."

Programs such as WIC cover some of the costs for formulas such as Similac and other specialty formulas given to families with a prescription from their healthcare provider, explained Spencer and per the WIC's website.

Although Virginia's WIC program was not paused during the shutdown, families who utilize the program have voiced their concerns to organizations targeted at servings mothers and families across Virginia.

"Everyone was nervous from SNAP benefits beneficiaries and from WIC," Sutton-El said. "So, one of the things that we did is we tried to come up with a strategic plan of, if this does happen, how can we protect our pregnant population? How can we protect our families ... [The] question is, how do we pick which families we're going to be able to support if we can't support everyone?"

Sutton-El said she has reached out to lawmakers to bring awareness of the situation should a government shutdown threaten these programs in the future.

Formula and diaper access?

When programs like SNAP and WIC are disrupted, some families who depend on the programs lose the ability to purchase formula and diapers for their babies leaving some having to choose which item to purchase during these periods.

According to Spencer, this occurs when families try to transition their funding from either SNAP to WIC or vice versa to purchase one item versus the other.

"You have to figure out how to support your baby in other ways," Spencer said.

It is important to note that Virginia is not currently under a formula shortage, but Spencer says mothers are still coming to her with concerns.

"[Around] October ... they started to call. I would say when we're looking at our referrals. Ten to 15 moms per day are calling, trying to get access to supports for formula assistance, but they're also trying to get access to diapers," she said.

In early November Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a pause on VENA to resume SNAP benefit distributions at 65% to Virginians. While benefits resumed, it wasn't at full capacity.

"The request for diapers is usually more prevalent when we have either government shutdowns or [some other] economic issues that families are impacted by -- and this would be one of them," Spencer said.

Amidst the uncertainty of the holiday season, Sutton-El and Spencer have continued to support mothers and families through their organizations from Richmond to Hampton Roads and western Virginia. To find out more about each organizations' services and how to support them, visit the Urban Baby Beginnings and Birth and Color RVA websites.