Three further cases of blood poisoning has been confirmed in babies who were fed contaminated batches of a food drip feed, developed by a Brent based pharmaceutical company.

The batch of intravenous liquid, called parenteral nutrition, thought to be responsible for this tragic incident, which resulted in the death of one baby, is manufactured by ITH Pharma Limited which is situated in Premier Park Road, Harlesden.

The babies affected, many of whom were deemed as premature and vulnerable, were treated neonatal intensive care units at hospitals in England, and given the feed direct to their bloodstream as they could not be fed by mouth.

The new report takes the total number of reported cases to 18.

The source of contamination remains a mystery.

However, it is known that the blood poisoning was caused by a common bacterium known as Bacillus cereus –widely found in dust, soil and vegetation.

Public Health England claim while no new cases have occurred since 2 June 2014, when the batches of the affected stock expired, there is a possibility more cases to come.

The company has since launched a product recall to which the Medicines and Healthcare product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued an alert to hospitals.

The MHRA is continuing its investigation into this incident and the manufacturer is co-operating fully.