One person has died and dozens more remain hospitalized in Russia in a botulism outbreak that is spreading across several Russian regions, authorities reported.
foodborne Botulism is a rare disease caused by a toxin. produced by a type of bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. Eating food contaminated with the toxin can cause paralysis, breathing difficulties, and sometimes death. Poorly canned, preserved or fermented foods are common sources.
Typical symptoms of botulism may include severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing or speaking, and neurological symptoms.
Russian authorities blame the outbreak on ready-to-eat salads that contained canned beans and were made by a popular delivery service. Since mid-June, officials in Moscow, the Moscow region, Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan have reported cases of botulism.
On Monday, an aide to Russia’s Health Minister Alexei Kuznetsov reported that a total of 369 people have been hospitalized with symptoms of botulism. Kuznetsov told Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti that 218 people remained in hospital as of Monday, including 38 people on ventilators, while 151 people had been discharged.
A 21-year-old man died at a hospital in the city of Kostroma, local officials said Monday. According to authorities, the man had traveled to Nizhny Novgorod, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of Kostroma, to visit relatives and ordered the bean salad there.
Health officials initially linked at least some of the cases in Moscow to two brands of prepared salads. Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s public health agency, stopped the sale of salads pending an investigation after the first cases of poisoning were reported.
Within days, authorities named one of the two salads as the culprit: the one made and sold by the popular delivery service Kukhnya Na Rayone, which operates in Moscow, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and several other cities. Kukhnya Na Rayone suspended operations and said in an online statement that it no longer offered canned bean salad and would also review its other products.
A criminal investigation has been launched into charges of manufacturing and distributing products that violate safety standards. Authorities detained two senior managers at Kukhnya Na Rayone, as well as the director of a company that manufactures canned beans and a man who worked there as a cook. The cook was taken into custody pending investigation and trial, while the other three were placed under house arrest.
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