The Canadian Press
Health Canada is advising consumers not to use two foreign natural health products to treat digestive upset in infants and children because of potentially dangerous contamination.

Baby's Bliss Gripe Water (apple flavour), code 26952V, was found to contain cryptosporidium, a parasite that infects the gastrointestinal tract and can cause severe side-effects, especially in infants.

Cryptosporidium can lead to watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and, in some cases, even death.

The natural health product, given to infants to ease stomach discomfort and gas often associated with colic, hiccups and teething, is sold in a four-ounce (118-millilitre) plastic bottle inside a cardboard carton. The label reads: Baby's Bliss Pediatrician Recommended Gripe Water Apple Flavor.

Baby's Bliss is distributed by MOM Enterprises, Inc. of California.

Health Canada is also advising consumers not to purchase or consume Zhong Ti Xiao Er Jian Pi San, batch number JPS0704, which has been recalled due to bacterial contamination.

The powdered product is promoted for use in children to treat stomach upset and digestive problems. It is made by MOH Pharmaceutical Technologies in Malaysia and distributed in a 20-gram pack in Singapore by Chung Kuo Refined Chinese Medicine Dealers Ltd.

The contaminated product could cause bacterial infection, with symptoms depending on the type of microbe present, Health Canada said in an advisory Wednesday.

Baby's Bliss Gripe Water and Zhong Ti Xiao Er Jian Pi San are not authorized for sale in Canada and neither product has been found in the Canadian marketplace. However, the products could have been purchased by Canadians travelling abroad and brought into Canada or purchased over the internet, Health Canada said.

Canadians who have these products are advised not to use them, and should consult a health-care professional if they have concerns about their use.

Health advisory: Zhong Ti Xiao Er Jian Pi San

Health advisory: Baby's Bliss