The crisis started after melamine, a banned substance, was added to milk by a number of Chinese dairy producers. On Tuesday the death toll stood at two with 1,253 babies ill, but Health Minister Chen Zhu warned that the number of affected babies could rise sharply in the coming days as more parents take their children for check ups.
The majority of babies are suffering from kidney problems caused by melamine, which is banned by the food industry as it causes severe kidney damage if ingested.
A total of 19 people have been detained in connection with the scandal, including a dairy center owner, who admitted adding melamine to his milk after Chinese dairy giant Sanlu refused to buy his products over poor quality. To avoid bankruptcy, he began mixing the substance with milk to make it appear rich in protein.
The crisis has sparked inspections of dairy producers across the country. As a result, melamine was discovered in 69 different brands, produced by 22 companies nationwide, including popular brands of Sanlu, Mengniu, Yili and Yashili.
The highest melamine content of 2,563 mg per kg was found in Sanlu products, other samples contained from 0.09 mg to 619 mg per kg.
The country's food safety authorities has recalled all products from shop shelves and ordered a suspension on the sale of baby powder.
