What is cereulide?

Cereulide is a toxin produced by certain strains of the bacterium Bacillus cereus. Unlike many bacteria, cereulide is heat-stable, meaning it can survive cooking, pasteurisation and reheating.

Once ingested, the toxin can trigger symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea, often within 30 minutes to six hours. In most healthy adults, symptoms usually pass within a day, but infants, young children and people with weakened immune systems face a higher risk of complications.

Why is it a concern in infant formula?

Infant formula is tightly regulated because babies rely on it as a primary source of nutrition. Even low levels of contamination can pose health risks, particularly because infants’ bodies are still developing.

There are currently no international standards setting an acceptable limit for cereulide in food, including baby formula. As a result, authorities often act cautiously when there is any indication the toxin could be present.

In this case, Nestlé said a “quality issue” was detected in an ingredient sourced from one of its major suppliers, prompting the company to recall affected batches as a preventive measure.

How widespread is the recall?

Health agencies in at least 37 countries have issued warnings or recalls linked to the affected products. Several of the recalled formulas were manufactured in Switzerland and distributed globally.

Some countries, including Singapore, have ordered a temporary stop to the sale of specific batches while investigations are ongoing. Nestlé has said that products in certain markets have been tested as safe, but regulators are continuing independent checks.

Are babies known to have fallen ill?

So far, no confirmed cases of illness linked to the recalled Nestlé infant formulas have been reported, according to health authorities.

However, parents and caregivers have been advised not to use the affected products as a precaution. Anyone whose child has consumed the formula and shows symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhoea is urged to seek medical advice promptly.

Particularly striking was the rate of higher-order multiple births involving three or more babies. South Korea recorded 0.67 such births per 1,000 deliveries, the highest among all countries in the database and roughly three times the global norm, underscoring the scale of the phenomenon.

While multiple births have increased internationally since the 1980s, the report found that South Korea’s rise has been steeper and more persistent. Researchers linked this trend largely to delayed childbearing.

The average age of women giving birth rose from 32.2 in 2015 to 33.7 in 2024, while mothers of multiples were older still, averaging 35.3 years. The growing use of assisted reproductive technologies has also played a role, as more couples seek fertility treatment later in life.

Medical experts have long classified multifetal pregnancies as high-risk. Compared with single pregnancies, they are associated with higher rates of complications such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes for mothers, as well as low birth weight and premature delivery for infants.

South Korea’s government has rolled out a range of policies to counter the country’s record-low fertility rate, which fell to 0.72 in 2023 before edging up to around 0.75. However, the study found that most measures focus on financial and medical support after birth, rather than preventing high-risk pregnancies in the first place.

Current guidelines for medically assisted reproduction still allow for the transfer of multiple embryos, a practice that increases the likelihood of twins or triplets. By contrast, countries including the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan have sharply reduced multiple-birth rates by recommending single embryo transfers and by actively informing patients of the associated risks.

The report also pointed to a distinctive social factor in South Korea, describing a growing tendency towards what it termed “convenience-oriented childbirth,” where couples aim to have two children through a single pregnancy in response to economic pressures and time constraints.

Researchers warned that South Korea’s exceptionally high multiple-birth rate is unlikely to fall without policy change. They urged the government to treat the issue as an extension of childcare and maternal health policy, calling for measures that prioritise health before and during pregnancy, alongside reforms designed to reduce the incidence of multifetal births.

It follows the confirmation of 30 polio cases so far this year, a sharp improvement on last year’s toll but still a reminder that transmission persists.

More than 400,000 frontline vaccinators are moving door to door, supported by thousands of police officers deployed amid intelligence warnings of possible militant attacks. Vaccination teams have repeatedly been targeted by extremists who claim, without evidence, that polio campaigns are a Western plot.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal urged families to cooperate with vaccination teams, warning that complacency could reverse gains. Each new infection, he said, risks condemning a child to lifelong paralysis while keeping communities vulnerable to wider outbreaks.

Afghanistan is the only other country where polio remains endemic. Officials said synchronised drives on both sides of the border are essential to interrupt cross-border transmission, which has historically undermined national progress.

Despite the latest cases, health authorities pointed to a dramatic long-term decline. Pakistan has reduced polio incidence by more than 99 per cent since the 1990s, cutting tens of thousands of annual cases to a few dozen. Two of the three strains of wild poliovirus once circulating in the country have already been eliminated.

That progress was underscored at a recent World Health Organization and Aga Khan University forum in Karachi, where international and national experts concluded that eradication in Pakistan is scientifically achievable. 

Pakistan’s programme is often cited as one of the most extensive public health operations in the world, with a dense network of emergency operation centres and one of the most sensitive surveillance systems globally. 

International advisers said the remaining challenge is not the effectiveness of the vaccine but reaching every last child, particularly in insecure or hard-to-access areas.

Officials described the current campaign as part of the “last mile” — the most difficult phase of eradication, when case numbers are low but the risk of resurgence is high. 

This means that Vietnamese families can now give birth to more than two children.

This comes after the country experienced historically low birth rates in the last three years.

According to the health ministry, the fertility rate dropped from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 2.01 in 2022. Then from 1.96 in 2023 to 1.91 children per woman in 2024.

Unfortunately, many citizens have grown to be comfortable with the cap on childbirth. For many, children are expensive, and the cost of living , especially in urban areas like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, is not helpful.

Thus, Tran Thi Thu Trang, an office worker and mother of three, says, "The government should increase people's salaries, prioritise children's tuition fees, provide free tuition or offer more healthcare support, so that people will change their views."

18-year-old university student, Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, told AFP that "Having children should match one’s financial situation, and allow time for personal well-being. Given how developed society is nowadays, I also want to prioritise self-care and beauty."

Tran Minh Huong, 22, on the other hand, cares less about any child policy or benefits as she plans not to have children.

"Even though I am Asian, with social norms that say women need to get married and have kids, it's too costly to raise a child," she said.

The governor has asked the Head of Service, Abubakar Sadiq Idris, to put the right measures in place to make sure the policy is properly carried out.

Bago’s spokesman, Bologi Ibrahim, said the new leave period supports global health standards. “

The policy was approved by the Governor as part of efforts aimed at protecting maternal and child health in line with international best practices,” he was quoted by The Guardian Nigeria .

The state government believes the extended leave will make female workers more productive and healthier when they return to duty.

In recent years, Chile’s fertility rate has fallen to one of the lowest in Latin America, driven by social, economic, and cultural changes. Factors such as delayed childbearing, rising living costs, greater educational and career opportunities for women, and changing family dynamics have contributed to this demographic shift.

However, foreign-born women residing in Chile are helping to cushion the impact, making up a growing proportion of total births. Many of these women come from neighboring countries such as Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Haiti, and Colombia, and tend to have children at younger ages and in greater numbers compared to Chilean-born women.

Some are forced to sleep on the floor, cook their own food, and fetch water, even when they are close to delivery.

Lawmakers raised these concerns in parliament, highlighting that the conditions in maternity waiting homes are poor.

One MP, Sithabisiwe Moyo, said these shelters lack security and proper facilities.

“Expecting mothers need a proper place to rest and be admitted to hospitals, not just an empty room without bedding. These mothers are also not provided with food; they are told to find their own. Many of them come from distant areas,” she was quoted by Zimlive .

Deputy Health Minister Sleiman Kwidini admitted that some waiting shelters do not have enough resources.

According to him, the government is working with the Ministry of Public and Social Welfare to provide food, improve the shelters, and get better beds for these women.

However, he pointed out that providing water is not part of his ministry’s responsibility.

Kwidini meanwhile denied claims that the government has neglected these shelters. He said efforts are being made to build new ones and improve the old ones.

He also suggested that MPs use their Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to help build and maintain shelters in their areas.

Maternity waiting homes were introduced in Zimbabwe in the 1980s to help pregnant women, especially those from faraway places, stay close to hospitals before delivery.

Studies show that women who stay in these homes have better pregnancy outcomes. But today, many of these shelters are in bad shape, leaving expecting mothers in difficult conditions.