CMPA is a common food allergy in South Africa with at least 2% and upwards of infants nationally affected. However, access to affordable cow's milk substitutes is less than ideal due to very few competitive products available on the market.
The newly launched, high quality formulation has individual amino acids as its main ingredient, remains stable over time without degeneration of the ingredients and is safe for use by infants and children properly diagnosed with cow's milk allergy.
Dr Pieta Serfontein, medical advisor at Cipla Medpro, says that incidence and prevalence of allergic diseases such as asthma, eczema and allergic rhinitis is widely reported to have increased over the past few decades globally and appears to be rising in South Africa. "Allergic reactions to food must not be taken lightly as these allergies can lead to insufficient nutrition and can hinder the growth of infants and children."
He adds that the existing cow's milk substitute products are quite expensive resulting in their use being limited to severe cases of CMPA. "The symptoms of CMPA, which include nausea, diarrhoea, eczema and respiratory problems, can be debilitating for infants and parents alike and greater access to an affordable substitute for cow's milk will alleviate the strain on families and bring relief to infants."
"These symptoms have a major effect on the day-to-day life of the family, as the infant will likely experience a lot of pain and cry constantly. This can have a disastrous impact on the parenting experience and negatively affect the crucial infant-parent bonding stage. Different kinds of allergies, especially food allergies, can also affect the baby's growth patterns, so it is extremely important that parents discuss any concerns about allergies with a doctor, dietician or paediatrician as soon as possible.
"If infants display any of the above mentioned symptoms, parents are advised to have them evaluated for allergy immediately to ensure that any detrimental effect on the child's growth development and the day-to-day life of their family are kept to a minimum," concludes Serfontein.
