The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it is reviewing cases of children who experienced kidney failure in the last few months to see if there is a possibility that there have already been victims of melamine-contaminated milk products imported from China.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said that records of public hospitals will be reviewed to check if there were children who have suffered from kidney failure as a result of drinking melamine-contaminated milk.

The Philippine Children's Medical Center, the largest children's hospital in the country, said that it has recorded cases of children who suffered from kidney failure though tests showed that these cases were not connected to melamine-contaminated milk.

However, the PCMC warned parents that it would still be better to play it safe.

PCMC Pediatric Medicine head Dr. Sonia Gonzales advised parents that it would still be best to breastfeed infants or to ensure that the milk being given to the children are not sourced from China.

Voluntary pullout

The local importer of Jolly Cow on Tuesday, meanwhile, voluntarily pulled out from supermarkets stocks of the milk brand imported from China, heeding the ban imposed by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) on the sale and importation of dairy products due to possible melamine contamination.

Fly Ace, the local distributor of Jolly Cow, said it has advised client of the pullout. It added it has stopped receiving orders for Jolly Cow.

The distributor also said it will conduct independent testing in Singapore to see if the milk brand is contaminated with melamine.

Fly Ace, however, said that not all of the milk branded as Jolly Cow come from China. Some of the products under the brand come from New Zealand and Thailand.

The company said that because of the ban on Chinese-produced milk products, sales have been affected.

SM, Robinson’s, and other big supermarkets have already pulled out Monday milk products that came from China even before a directive was released to remove them for possible melamine content.

Ban 'until further notice'

The BFAD advisory, which was signed by Director Leticia Barbara Gutierrez, said that the ban on importation and sale would be in effect “until further notice from this bureau when data are presented assuring the products' safety and fitness for human consumption.”

“...in the interest of protecting public health and welfare, directing all licensed importers and/or distributors of registered milk products sourced from China to immediately stop temporarily from further importing distributing, selling and offering for sale the aforesaid products,” said BFAD in an advisory dated September 22.

BFAD reiterated that there is no infant formula produced in and imported from China that is registered with the agency.

BFAD advised consumers "not to purchase and use outright infant formula from China that might have been brought into the country through unauthorized means."

Consumers were also warned "not to purchase for the time being, milk products that are manufactured or sourced in China until further notice from this bureau when data are presented assuring the products' safety and fitness for human consumption."

The BFAD advisory reiterated the agency's call to local officials to conduct investigation on the "unauthorized" import of infant formula and milk products manufactured in China.

Certification now required

None of the liquid or powdered milk products made in China can be seen in over 60 supermarkets all over the country. However, there are still soya milk products present in the market which are made in Hong Kong and China since this isn’t part of the scope of recall.

Milk products from China now require a certification from BFAD before these can be returned to grocery shelves. Supermarkets and groceries also demand this BFAD certification as proof that these products have passed the department’s inspection.

For those who have already bought milk products made in China, supermarkets and groceries said that they could have them replaced for other brands. But since news came out regarding the melamine contamination, many consumers have stayed away from milk products coming from China.

Since January 2008, more than two million kilos of milk are imported by the country from China. Given this, the DTI is now working extra hard on monitoring these products, especially the repacking process. With reports from Ron Gagalac and Alex Santos, ABS-CBN News