In June, 15 people were hospitalized with botulism - Ministry of Health
Kyiv • UNN
The Ministry of Health reports 39 cases of botulism since the beginning of the year. The main causes are the consumption of home-canned food, dried fish and meat. All regions are provided with anti-botulinum serum.
In June, 15 people were hospitalized with botulism, mostly after eating dried fish and home-canned meat, UNN reports, citing the Ministry of Health.
In total, according to the agency, since the beginning of the year, doctors have already registered 39 cases of botulism, compared to 45 cases in the same period last year.
Cases of botulism were reported in Dnipropetrovs'k, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi regions and Kyiv. The probable cause of the disease in all cases was home-made products: pates, dried fish, and meat. The patients received the necessary medical care and were injected with an antibotulinum serum. All regions are currently provided with it, the Ministry of Health noted.
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The first symptoms of botulism can appear both a few hours after ingestion and 10 days later. Among the first signs that occur after the toxin enters the human body are the following:
- muscle weakness (difficulty moving, speaking, breathing),
- severe dry mouth,
- blurred vision (like a “grid” or “fog” in front of the eyes) and/or severe double vision.
Since the main cause of botulism is the consumption of poorly prepared, spoiled food, the most important rule in the prevention of this disease is careful adherence to home canning of vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and meat. It is also recommended to warm up (up to 100 ℃ - 30 minutes) canned mushrooms, meat and vegetables prepared at home before eating. In addition, do not consume canned foods whose packaging is damaged or whose jar or lid is deformed or "bloated". It is impossible to distinguish infected products from quality ones. The risk zone includes dried, smoked and salted fish, home-canned mushrooms, canned meat and fish, and home-made sausage.
Botulism is a severe food poisoning that can be fatal. The toxin that causes botulism cannot be identified by color or taste, as canned foods and other products containing the botulism pathogen usually do not change their appearance. Vacuum packaging of fish or smoked meat does not guarantee their safety. Therefore, it is important to eat only certified products manufactured in accordance with sanitary requirements. Sausages, ham, dried fish, etc. should only be stored or transported in the refrigerator.
