10,000 Chinese kids still sick from milk

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BEIJING, Oct 09 (AP): More than 10,000 children remained hospitalised after being sickened in China's tainted milk scandal, eight of whom were in serious condition, officials said.
The Health Ministry said in a statement on its Web site Wednesday that 10,666 children were in hospitals after drinking milk powder contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, which can lead to kidney stones and possibly life-threatening kidney failure.
No new deaths have been recorded, it said. The scandal has so far been blamed for the deaths of four babies and the sickening of about 54,000 others in China.
But the effects of the scandal continue to be felt, forcing the government to deal with festering health and public relations issues. China's food exports have increasingly suffered, with more nations issuing import bans.