{"id":10213,"date":"2025-03-01T14:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T19:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/dhan248\/"},"modified":"2025-03-02T00:50:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T05:50:28","slug":"dhan248","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/php\/alerts\/dhan248\/","title":{"rendered":"php\/alerts\/dhan248 ~  Division of Public Health &#8212; Health Alert  &#8211; Delaware Health and Social Services &#8211; State of Delaware"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-swiftype-index=\"true\">\n\n\n\n  <br>\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"container\" id=\"main_header\"> \n\n    <!-- BEGIN readspeaker div -->\n\n    <div class=\"rs_skip rsbtn rs_preserve\" id=\"readspeaker_button1\">\n\n      <a accesskey=\"L\" class=\"rsbtn_play\" href=\"https:\/\/app-na.readspeaker.com\/cgi-bin\/rsent?customerid=7262&#038;lang=en_us&#038;readid=main_content&#038;url=https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/php\/alerts\/dhan248.html\" title=\"Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker\">\n\n        <span class=\"rsbtn_left rsimg rspart\"><span class=\"rsbtn_text\"><span>Listen<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\n        <span class=\"rsbtn_right rsimg rsplay rspart\"><\/span>\n\n      <\/a>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- END readspeaker div -->\n\n\n\n    \n\n    <header class=\"pull-left\">\n\n      <h1>Delaware Health Alert Network #<!--[type=EDIT name=\"DHAN Number\"]-->248 <!--[END]--> <\/h1>\n\n      <h2> <!--[type=EDIT name=\"DHAN Date\"]-->June 6, 2011 9:19am <!--[END]--> <\/h2>\n\n    <\/header>\n\n  <\/div><br>\n\n \n\n  <div class=\"container\">\n\n    <div class=\"row\">\n\n      <div class=\"col-md-3\" id=\"leftCol\">\n\n        <div class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\">\n\n          <div class=\"panel sectionmenu_panel\">\n\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\">\n\n              <p class=\"panel-title\"><a class=\"agency_nav\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapseOne\"><strong><i class=\"fa fa-align-justify fa-fw\"><\/i> Public Health Menu<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n            <div class=\"panel-collapse collapse in\" id=\"collapseOne\">\n\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" id=\"clf_nav\">\n\n                  <ul class=\"nav nav-stacked nav-pills-clf\" id=\"agency_sidebar\">\n    <li><a href=\"\/dph\/\"><h2>Home <i class=\"fa fa-home fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2><\/a><\/li>\n    <li class=\"toplevel\"><a data-parent=\"#agency_sidebar\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#HomeMenu\"><h2>About <i class=\"fa fa-caret-right fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2><\/a>\n      <ul class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"HomeMenu\">\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/about.html\">About DPH<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/sections.html\">Sections &#038; Programs<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/ofclocations.html\">Office Locations<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/contact.html\">Contact Info<\/a><\/li>\n      \n        <li><a href=\"\/calendars.html\" target=\"_blank\">Calendar<\/a><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/li>\n    <li class=\"toplevel\"><a data-parent=\"#sidebar\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#ServicesMenu\"><h2>Services <i class=\"fa fa-caret-right fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2><\/a>\n      <ul class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"ServicesMenu\">\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/servicesaz.html\">A-Z Services<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/hsp\/environmental.html\">Air &#038; Water Quality<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/ss\/vitalstats.html\">Birth, Death, &#038; Marriage Records<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/clinics.html\">Clinics<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/healthdatastats.html\">Health Data &#038; Statistics<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/php\/emsps.html\">Emergency Preparedness<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/healthandwellness.html\">Health &#038; Wellness<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/hsp\/healthyhomes.html\">Healthy Homes<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/hsp\/healthywp.html\">Healthy Workplaces<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/lab\/labs.html\">Laboratory<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/hsp\/feir.html\">Restaurant Inspections<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/screen.html\">Screening and Testing<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/chca\/dphwichominf01.html\">WIC<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/servicesadd.html\">Additional Services<\/a><\/li><li>\n      <\/li><\/ul>\n    <\/li>\n    <li class=\"toplevel\"><a data-parent=\"#sidebar\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#InformationMenu\"><h2>Information <i class=\"fa fa-caret-right fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2><\/a>\n        <ul class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"InformationMenu\">\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/factsheetsaz.html\">A-Z Fact Sheets<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/pubreportsaz.html\">A-Z Publications &#038; Reports<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/diseasesandconditions.html\">Diseases &#038; Conditions<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/faq.html\">FAQ&#8217;s<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/php\/alerts.html\">Health Alerts<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/healthylifestyles.html\">Healthy Lifestyles<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/hipaa.html\">HIPAA<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/regs.html\">Regulations<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/forms.html\">Request Forms<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/links.html\">Links &#038; Resources<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"http:\/\/delaware.gov\/help\/foia_request.shtml\">FOIA Request Form<\/a><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/li>\n    <li><a id=\"SocialMenuHeader\"><h2>Connect <i class=\"fa fa-thumbs-o-up fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2><\/a>\n      <ul id=\"SocialMenu\">\n        <li class=\"facebook\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DEPublicHealth\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Division of Public Health Facebook Page\"><i class=\"fa fa-facebook-square fa-lg\"><\/i> Facebook<\/a><\/li>\n        <li class=\"twitter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Delaware_DHSS\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Delaware Health and Social Services Twitter Account\"><i class=\"fa fa-twitter-square fa-lg\"><\/i> Twitter<\/a><\/li>\n        <!-- <li class=\"googleplus\"><a href=\"#\"><i class=\"fa fa-google-plus-square fa-lg\"><\/i> Google +<\/a><\/li>\n        <li class=\"flickr\"><a href=\"#\"><i class=\"fa fa-flickr fa-lg\"><\/i> Flickr<\/a><\/li>\n        <li class=\"youtube\"><a href=\"#\"><i class=\"fa fa-youtube-square fa-lg\"><\/i> Youtube<\/a><\/li>\n        <li class=\"instagram\"><a href=\"#\"><i class=\"fa fa-instagram fa-lg\"><\/i> Instagram<\/a><\/li>\n        <li class=\"linkedin\"><a href=\"#\"><i class=\"fa fa-linkedin-square fa-lg\"><\/i> Linkedin<\/a><\/li>\n        <li class=\"pinterest\"><a href=\"#\"><i class=\"fa fa-pinterest-square fa-lg\"><\/i> Pinterest<\/a><\/li> -->\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/li>\n  <\/ul>\n\n              <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div><br>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n\n\n      <div class=\"col-md-9\" id=\"main_content\"> \n\n  \n\n<h2 class=\"center\">Health\n\n<!--[type=EDIT name=\"DHANType\"]-->\n\n\n\n   Advisory<!--[END]-->\n\n<br>\n\n<!--[type=EDIT name=\"DHAN Heading\"]-->\n\n\n\nSIMPLYTHICK<!--[END]-->\n\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<!--[type=HTMLEDIT name=\"Content\"]-->\n\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  <strong>The Delaware Division of Public Health is forwarding the following information from the U.S. Food and Drug\n\n\n  Administration;<\/strong>\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  <strong>FDA: Do not feed SimplyThick to premature infants<\/strong> <strong><br><\/strong> <em>The thickening product may cause necrotizing\n\n\n  enterocolitis (NEC), a life-threatening condition<\/em>\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h3>\n\n\n  Fast Facts\n\n\n<\/h3>\n\n\n<ul>\n\n\n  <li>FDA is warning parents, caregivers and health care providers not to feed SimplyThick to infants born before 37 weeks gestation who\n\n\n  are currently receiving hospital care\u00a0or have been\u00a0discharged from the hospital in the past 30 days.\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>The product may cause necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a life-threatening condition characterized by inflammation and death of\n\n\n  intestinal tissue.\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Health care providers should stop administering the product to premature infants.\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Parents and caregivers who have questions or concerns related to the use of the product and\/or who have medical concerns should\n\n\n  contact their health care provider.\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h4>\n\n\n  What is the Problem?\n\n\n<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  The FDA is advising parents, caregivers and health care providers not to feed SimplyThick, a thickening product, to premature infants.\n\n\n  The product may cause necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a life-threatening condition.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  FDA first learned of adverse events possibly linked to the product on May 13, 2011. To date, the agency is aware of 15 cases of NEC,\n\n\n  including two deaths, involving premature infants who were fed SimplyThick for varying amounts of time. The product was mixed with\n\n\n  mothers\u2019 breast milk or infant formula products.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  Illnesses have been reported from at least four different medical centers around the country. The illnesses of which FDA is aware involve\n\n\n  premature infants who became sick over the past six months. SimplyThick was added to the feeding regimen of those infants who later\n\n\n  developed NEC to help with swallowing difficulties stemming from complications of premature birth.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  The current situation is unusual because NEC most often occurs in babies within the hospital early in their premature course. But among\n\n\n  the ill babies of which FDA is aware, some had been discharged from the hospital to home on a feeding regimen that included SimplyThick\n\n\n  and then fell ill at home.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h4>\n\n\n  What are the Symptoms of Illness\/Injury?\n\n\n<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  NEC is a life-threatening condition characterized by inflammation and death of intestinal tissue. The condition is most often diagnosed\n\n\n  in babies who are born prematurely.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  Signs and symptoms of NEC include appearance of a bloated abdominal area, appearance of illness, feeding intolerance, greenish-tinged\n\n\n  (bile) vomiting and bloody stools.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h4>\n\n\n  Who is at Risk?\n\n\n<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  Premature infants currently receiving hospital care and premature infants discharged from the hospital within the past 30 days should not\n\n\n  be fed SimplyThick.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h4>\n\n\n  What Do Parents, Care Givers and Health care Providers Need To Do?\n\n\n<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  Do not feed SimplyThick to premature infants.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  Parents and caregivers who have questions or concerns related to the use of the product and\/or who have medical concerns should contact\n\n\n  their health care provider.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h4>\n\n\n  What Does the Product Look Like?\n\n\n<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  SimplyThick is one brand of thickening agent available to medical centers and consumers. The product is sold in packets of individual\n\n\n  servings and in 64-ounce dispenser bottles. The product can be purchased from distributors and local pharmacies throughout the United\n\n\n  States.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  Images of the SimplyThick label and packaging\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/fdaphotos\/sets\/72157626641899297\/\" target=\"_blank\">can be viewed here<\/a>.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h4>\n\n\n  Where is it Distributed?\n\n\n<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  SimplyThick is distributed and can be purchased throughout the United States.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h4>\n\n\n  What is Being Done about the Problem?\n\n\n<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  FDA is actively investigating the link between SimplyThick and these illnesses and deaths. FDA will provide updates as information is\n\n\n  made available.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h4>\n\n\n  Who Should be Contacted?\n\n\n<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  Parents and caregivers who have questions or concerns related to the use of the product and\/or who have medical concerns should contact\n\n\n  their health care provider.\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  Health care professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of this product to the\n\n\n  FDA&#8217;s MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program by:\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<ul>\n\n\n  <li>Completing and submitting the adverse report online: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fda.gov\/MedWatch\/report.htm\">www.fda.gov\/MedWatch\/report.htm<\/a>\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Downloading the pre-addressed, postage-paid <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fda.gov\/Safety\/MedWatch\/HowToReport\/DownloadForms\/default.htm\" target=\"_blank\">FDA Form 3500<\/a> (or calling 1-800-332-1088 to request the form), completing it and faxing it to 1-800-FDA-0178; or\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n  <li>Mailing the completed form to MedWatch 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.\n\n\n  <\/li>\n\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"text-center\">\n\n\n  <em>The information in this press release reflects the FDA\u2019s best efforts to communicate what it has learned from medical centers,\n\n\n  the distributor and the state and local public health agencies involved in the investigation. The agency will update this page as more\n\n\n  information becomes available.<\/em>\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<h4>\n\n\n  For more information:\n\n\n<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/fdaphotos\/sets\/72157626641899297\/\" target=\"_blank\">SimplyThick product packaging and labels<\/a>\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  ************************************\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n  You are receiving this email because you are a registered member of the Delaware Health Alert Network. If you are not a member and would\n\n\n  like to subscribe, please register at <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalertde.org\">https:\/\/healthalertde.org<\/a>\n\n\n<\/p><!--[END]-->\n\n  \n\n        <div class=\"panel panel-danger\">\n\n          <div class=\"panel-heading\">    \n\n      <h2>Categories of Health Alert messages:<\/h2>\n\n       <\/div>\n\n       <div class=\"panel-body\">\n\n      <ul>\n\n        <li><strong>Health Alert:<\/strong> Conveys the highest level of importance; warrants immediate action or attention.<\/li>\n\n        <li><strong>Health Advisory:<\/strong> Provides important information for a specific incident or situation; may not require immediate action.<\/li>\n\n        <li><strong>Health Update:<\/strong> Provides updated information regarding an incident or situation; unlikely to require immediate action.<\/li>\n\n            <\/ul>\n\n         <div><strong>NOTE: This page is for informational purposes only and dated material (e.g. temporary websites) may not be available.<\/strong><\/div>\n\n          <\/div> \n\n        <\/div><br>  \n\n\n\n      <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><!-- \/container -->\n\n  <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen Delaware Health Alert Network #248 June 6, 2011 9:19am Public Health Menu Home About About DPH Sections &#038; Programs Office Locations Contact Info Calendar Services A-Z Services Air &#038; Water Quality Birth, Death, &#038; Marriage Records Clinics Health Data &#038; Statistics Emergency Preparedness Health &#038; Wellness Healthy Homes Healthy Workplaces Laboratory Restaurant Inspections Screening [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":9294,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10213","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11389,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10213\/revisions\/11389"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}