10,000 kids still in hospital from China’s tainted milk

The Health Ministry said in a statement on its website on Wednesday that eight of the 10,666 children were in serious condition after drinking milk powder contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, which can lead to kidney stones and life-threatening kidney failure. No new deaths have been recorded, the ministry said. The scandal has so far been blamed for the deaths of four babies and the sickening of about 54,000 others in China.

But the effects of the scandal continue to be felt, forcing the government to deal with festering health and public relations issues. China’s food exports have suffered significantly from the scandal, with more than 30 countries restricting Chinese dairy products, and in some cases all Chinese food exports.

Singapore’s food safety agency said on Thursday it found traces of melamine in three more Chinese-made products. It said the chemical was detected in samples of blueberry and chocolate flavoured Cadbury Choclairs and Panda Dairy-brand Whole Milk Powder imported from China.

In Manila, a Philippine health official said Southeast Asian countries should review and strengthen regulations to shield their people from potentially harmful products that now move easily across borders in the era of free trade.

“Presently, our governments are confronted with the fear engendered by melamine milk products finding their way into our local markets,” Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said at the opening of a meeting of health ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Chinese dairy suppliers have been accused of adding melamine — used in plastics, paint and adhesives — to watered-down milk to make the product appear rich in protein and fool quality control tests.