The Chinese Health Ministry announced in a statement, released late on Sunday, that the number of children affected by consuming contaminated milk products has doubled, with about 12,900 in hospital and 104 of them seriously ill. This has reportedly been one of the worst product safety scandals in years.  

More than 80 percent of the sick were reported to be under age two. Hitherto, four deaths have been blamed on toxic milk powder causing kidney stones and agonizing complications.

The Chinese government has straight away ordered a withdrawal of products sent beyond the domestic market, including Hong Kong and Singapore. The authorities are also expected to ask the companies producing the milk to apply afresh for their licenses to sell their products in China and the neighboring markets. 

Wen visited hospitals in the national capital in an effort to reassure the public that his government was working upon the matter. 

"The public is worried, doctors are worried, and we're also worried," he told parents and staff, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. 

"The most crucial point is that after a clean-up there can be no problems at all with newly produced milk products. If there are fresh problems, they must be even more sternly punished under the law."