The United States "Pediatric" medical magazine recently published a study on the online sale of breastmilk. The researchers found that the 102 bottles of online breast milk purchased were detected and found that 10 bottles of breast-feeding milk were blended with 10% of milk!
Not only is breast milk "unclean," but excessive colonization is another major security risk for online breastfeeding.
In our country, the health department had clearly stated that breastmilk cannot be used as a commodity for production and sales. However, based on the benefits of breastfeeding, many parents still hope to obtain breastmilk, which has given birth to the underground market for breast milk transactions.
Experts believe that there are major security risks in the sale of breast milk. If hospitals and other authoritative organizations are leading the establishment of “breast milk banks†and provide necessary breast milk reserves, this direction will be worth encouraging.
Demand for breast milk online trading
On Baidu's search for “buying breastmilkâ€, we can find that there are not a few parents who have breast milk needs. They are convinced that breastfeeding is healthier.
Fujian Longyan netizen Su Shili (a pseudonym) had asked for help at the mother-infant forum "mother tree" in September 2014. He said, "My baby has no breast milk to drink. Which mother treasures to buy?" Although some people say that the purchase of breast milk is not safe, it is recommended to give the baby formula milk powder, but Su Shili still firmly believes that "milk milk is better than milk."
Ms. Wu, Shenyang’s prospective mother, is concerned about the sale of breastmilk on the Internet because she is a carrier of hepatitis B virus and is not suitable for breastfeeding. I heard that breastmilk contains an immune component that is healthier for the baby and hopes to buy breastmilk for baby feeding.
In 2013, e-commerce platforms had sold frozen “homegrown breastmilk†at prices ranging from RMB 10 to RMB 40. However, according to the regulations of the national health department, "human breast milk is not an ordinary food resource and cannot be used as a commodity for production and sales," the online breast milk trade was shielded.
However, such transactions can still be conducted on other platforms. The Beijing News reporter searched for "sales of breastmilk" in 58 cities and fairs and found that there were dozens of sellers in Beijing alone in the past five months. The seller's description is basically the same: milk is too much, children can't finish, the freezer is no longer fit, the mother is in good health, and the buyers in need can come to pick themselves up.
Most sellers have sun-dried photographs of frozen breast milk on the Internet. These breast milks are stored in milk storage bags, and individual dates are also marked. In order to prove the reliability of breast milk, the seller emphasized that he had passed the breast milk test and not only issued a specific inspection certificate, but also informed even the three meals a day, calcium tablets, milk storage bags and breast pump brands.
The science writer Zhao Zhide pointed out that the benefits of breastfeeding are many. Breastfeeding infants have lower rates of otitis media, severe diarrhea and allergic diseases than non-breastfeeding infants, and breastfeeding can effectively prevent obesity and diabetes in adulthood. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that infants should breastfeed within 6 months of birth.
Because of so many benefits, many parents in China are seeking breastmilk for their children online and have spawned breast milk network transactions.
Breast milk network sells bacterial contamination
Is it safe to sell breast milk online? The reporter dialed several sellers as buyers.
Miss Zhao produced in April last year and earned several thousand dollars by selling her own breast milk in 58 cities.
She admitted that many buyers had asked her how to ensure the safety of breast milk, but the only proof she could produce was the medical report issued by Anzheng Hospital when she produced her own product. When asked about the shelf life of frozen breast milk, Ms. Zhao stated that “the ones written on breast milk storage bags can reach one year, and I also gave my children food for six months without any problemsâ€.
Another seller, Ms. Huang, said that everyone's hygiene habits are different. "I don't think safety is also very good." In order to ensure the health of breast milk, after each use, she will use boiling water to boil the breast pump two or three times. Breast milk is stored in a refrigerator and written on the date. She believes that frozen milk can not exceed 4 months, beyond which nutrition will be lost. She had previously given someone a bag of fresh milk and a bag of frozen milk and found that the frozen milk had a taste and the children did not like it.
“The best thing is to actually go to her house and look at the storage conditions of the refrigerator. If it is really not safe to do breast milk testing,†Ms. Huang suggested.
The reporter then dialed the telephones of Beijing Haidian Maternal and Child Hospital and Chaoyang Maternal and Child Hospital. The interviewed doctors all said that the hospital did not have breast milk testing.
Another private hospital said that it can conduct breast milk testing, but it can only detect the nutrients inside, and it cannot detect colonies and virus content.
Dr. Yun Yun, a food engineering engineer at Purdue University in the United States, believes that there are many hidden risks in breast milk transactions. “Breastmilk is equivalent to raw milk from milk and is not allowed to be sold in raw milk countries, because it is easy to exceed the standard without proper sterilization of bacteria. Breast milk itself is no problem, but it is sold without being processed and cannot guarantee the safety in the process. The security risks are quite large. I think that even if it is not against the law, it should be completely opposed."
In the United States, due to market demand, there has been a case of greater than supply for breast milk transactions. Although the United States established a non-profit organization such as the “Breast Bank†as early as 1985, and has branches in many places, strict donor conditions have caused many breast-milk donors to be kept out of doors, and there is no legal regulation. Therefore, the sale of breast milk in the United States is beginning to take off in the United States.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also warned that it is unsafe to purchase breastmilk on the Internet.
As early as in 2013, US media reported that there was a risk of bacterial contamination in online shopping for breast milk. The researchers found that of the 101 samples of breast milk collected, 72 were infected with bacteria and the infection rate was close to 70%.
Not only that, a study published in the US “Pediatrics†medical magazine on April 6th this year showed that part of online sales of breast milk were blended with milk and 10 bottles of 10 bottles of milk were found in 102 bottles of networked breast milk. . And whether the women who provided breast milk took drugs or whether their body temperature was normal, the buyer had no evidence of this.
"Mother milk library" may solve the problem of demand
In order to solve the problem of breast milk demand, many countries have established a "breast milk bank" (also known as "breast milk bank").
According to statistics, the U.S. Breast Bank was established in 1985. Today, it has established branches in nearly 20 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It mainly provides breastmilk for premature infants and cows with milk allergy. A few institutions have cancer under prescription. Patients provide breast milk.
Although the U.S. breast milk banks are mostly private institutions, they strictly follow the guidelines set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC to conduct breast milk collection, disinfection, and supply. In order to ensure the safety of breast milk, donors must pass a rigorous physical examination and the collected breast milk should also be stored frozen after strict disinfection.
On May 20, 2013, the first domestic milk bank was established in Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center. Compared to the world's earliest established breast milk bank in Vienna, Austria, China has been a full 100 years late; even if compared with China's Taiwan, it is almost 10 years later.
The Beijing News reporter recently informed the Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center that the condition of the breast milk donor is that the baby should be within 10 months; there is no cold, fever, diarrhea and other symptoms, and there is no late night. In addition, donors will also be tested for AIDS, syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and cytomegalovirus. The cost of testing will be borne by the hospital.
The doctors of this hospital emphasized in particular: “Breastmilk is not sold to outsiders but only used internally in hospitals. It is mainly targeted at hospitalized children with preterm infants and low birth weight infants, and can only be used after assessment.â€
According to media reports, since the establishment of the Guangzhou Breast Milk Bank, there have been 448 donors, but most of them are family members of the hospital's employees. Many families of children and the general public are concerned about donating breast milk, so the social participation rate is not very high. In addition, hospitals also have to bear the costs of breast milk collection, disinfection, and storage, which is costly.
Clouds did not believe that "if the hospital came forward to do, to ensure the safety of the milk, it is worth encouraging." (Beijing News reporter Guo Tie intern Zhao Jixiang)
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