Use only milk products from U.S. FDA-approved manufacturers

China’s Health Ministry announced Sunday that the number of Chinese children sickened by melamine-tainted milk has ballooned to almost 53,000.

As many as 39,965 children have been treated as outpatients at various hospitals and are deemed “basically recovered.” Another 12,892 children have been hospitalized in recent weeks of which 104 are in serious condition. So far, 4 children have died. Over 80% of the children in hospital are age 2 years and younger.

The health ministry also said that most of those in hospital fell ill from use of powdered milk and baby formula. Many of them consumed products from one company — the Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group, which is at the center of this latest food safety scandal.

But the Chinese government has already recalled dairy products manufactured by 22 dairy companies, after traces of melamine were also found in their products.

Melamine is an industrial chemical, used primarily in plastics manufacturing. It has high content of nitrogen, which induces a high reading for protein in tests for protein content in milk. It is thought to be harmless when ingested in small amounts, but it can accumulate and cause kidney stones, leading to kidney failure. Babies and toddlers are very vulnerable.

Hong Kong authorities announced Saturday that a 3-year-old girl had developed kidney stones. This is the first case related to tainted Chinese milk reported outside mainland China.

In a bid to shore up international confidence, the Chinese government has taken high-profile steps to show it is in control of the situation. The Chinese premier made a televised statement that dairy companies should exercise more ‘social responsibility.’ He also mingled with children undergoing health checks at a Beijing hospital, and visited a supermarket selling dairy products.

The scandal has set off a global reaction. A number of countries (Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Bangladesh as well as Gabon, Burundi and Tanzania) have issued a ban on imports of Chinese milk products. The EU and the US have officially asked for an explanation. Officials of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) believe the problem may turn out bigger than what has been revealed up to this point.

There are press reports from China that say lacing food products with melamine has been carried out for many years. This has not been detected or prevented by China’s chaotic and corrupt system to enforce food safety regulations.

The WHO said 65 Chinese brands have tested positive for melamine contamination.

Safety Tip:

* Use only milk products from U.S. FDA-approved manufacturers. The FDA has approved products from only six companies: Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Nestle USA, PBM Nutritionals and Solus Products.