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Two children hospitalized in Memphis due to baby formula shortage

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two children were being treated at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, due to complications attributed to the baby formula shortage.

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Dr. Mark Corkins, a pediatric gastroenterologist, treated both of the children, according to WHBQ-TV.

Both children have special medical needs that require them to use a specific formula. Neither doctors nor their families could find it on shelves.

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Corkins said they had found ways to treat them, but it’s not a long-term solution.

“This is literally not just Memphis, not just Tennessee or the South. This is literally all of North America being affected,” Corkins told WHBQ-TV. “We are trying to do some different ‘doctoring’ formulas that aren’t usually used for this kind of situation and try to see if we can find something that will work.”

Corkins said he had treated a toddler and a preschooler.

“They can’t absorb these other formulas, and they end up getting dehydrated and falling behind,” he said.

When their parents couldn’t find the formula on shelves, Corkins said they used a different kind, and their bodies didn’t tolerate the switch.

He treated the children with IV fluids and nutrients.

“This is the way we were practicing 30 years ago when I started in pediatric GI. Some of the modern breakthroughs we had are now unavailable,” he told WHBQ-TV.

Corkins said he expects more children will wind up in hospitals if action isn’t taken soon.