Bacteria-Tainted Baby Cough Syrup Recalled Nationwide

NEW YORK, NY — A nationwide recall has been issued for a baby cough syrup product that was sold at Dollar General stores across the country. Kingston Pharma LLC recalled its 2-fluid ounce bottles of DG/health NATURALS baby Cough SYRUP + Mucus due to concerns it could be tainted with a dangerous bacteria.

In a recall notice issued Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the medicine could be contaminated with Bacillus cereus/ Bacillus circulans, which can cause gastrointestinal illnesses. Symptoms could include vomiting or diarrhea, and the severity of symptoms ranges from mild to deadly.

“Individuals at risk for more severe forms of illness include infants, young children, and others with weakened immune systems,” the recall notice stated. To date, no one has reported feeling sick from the medicine.

Crystal Ghassemi, a spokeswoman for Dollar General, told Patch in a statement Thursday the company learned of the contamination Wednesday and immediately took steps to recall the product.

“Our customers’ health and well-being are top priorities, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused,” she said.

Patch has reached out to Kingston Pharma for comment and will update when we hear back.

The FDA said the possible contamination was found during audit testing. About one in 10 bottles sampled contained low levels of the bacteria.

The recalled product is marked with Lot KL180157. It expires Nov. 20, 2019, and has the following bar code: 8 54954 00250 0.

If you bought the affected medicine, the FDA said you should return it to the store and receive a full refund.