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HONG KONG: A second child now being treated in Hong Kong developed a kidney stone after drinking tainted Chinese milk, authorities here said, as the fallout of the food safety scandal escalates.
The four-year-old boy was diagnosed after drinking milk products laced with the industrial chemical melamine, the Centre for Health Protection said in a statement released late Monday.
The boy, who was born in the southern Chinese territory but lives in the mainland, was being treated in hospital, the statement said.
"His father took him to (hospital) for examinations... blood and urine tests indicated that there was a renal stone in his kidney," the statement said.
"He was subsequently admitted for treatment and is now in (a) stable condition."
The hospital also provided advice to 63 people under 17 who said they had consumed milk products adulterated with melamine, although none of the cases required hospitalisation, the statement said.
A further 80 people have complained of symptoms of renal problems after drinking the contaminated milk, according to a special hotline set up by the government, the statement said.
"They have been advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ascertain if they were suffering from renal disease," a government spokesman said.
Melamine, which is usually used in making plastics, was found to have been added to milk formula, sickening close to 53,000 infants in China, authorities there have said.
Melamine can make products appear full of protein, but it can be fatal if consumed in large amounts. Four children in China have died.
A three-year-old Hong Kong girl who fell ill at the weekend was believed to be the first person outside the mainland to have fallen ill, prompting a rush of concerned families to city hospitals.
Several countries have banned or limited imports of China dairy products since the scandal came to light two weeks ago.
- AFP/yb
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