The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced this year’s first case of botulism, a 66-year-old female resident in Pingtung County. On February 25, she had trouble speaking and muscle paralyses over her body and sought hospital treatment. During hospitalization, symptoms such as difficulty in swallowing, eye muscles paralysis, limb muscle weakness and difficulty in breathing subsequently developed. The patient was confirmed as being infected with botulism on March 9 and is still under treatment at the respiratory care center (RCC). 

Investigations by health agencies found that prior to the onset of the symptoms the person had consumed canned eels, seaweed sauce and fish floss. Samples collected from the remaining canned eels were sent for examination at the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), showing a negative test result. So far, none of the four family members who live in the same household has showed any symptoms. According to Taiwan CDC’s surveillance data, the numbers of confirmed botulism cases from 2011 to 2015 are 6, 0, 1, 0, and 2 respectively; all are sporadic cases. 

The Taiwan CDC stressed that although the cause of this case could not be established to be the consumption of canned food, any food products that have not been completely sterilized could have been contaminated with the spores of clostridium botulinum during their manufacturing or packaging processes. An anaerobic environment such as a sealed or vacuum storage container could also lead to botulism. Since the botulinum toxin cannot survive in high temperatures and can be destroyed by heating for 10 minutes at 100oC, any homemade, cured and vacuum-packaged food should be boiled thoroughly before consumption in order to ensure food safety. 

The Taiwan CDC asserted that botulism can have high case fatality rate if untreated. It urged all physicians to remain vigilant. If gastrointestinal symptoms or fatigue accompanied by neurological symptoms similar to those of botulism, such as blurred vision, dilated pupils, drooping eyelids or weakness of limbs, were detected, they should be reported to health agencies immediately, so that timely provision of antitoxin and proper care could be made for patients to lower their risk of death.