Public Health officials closely following three botulism cases in Washington County related to carrot juice
September 15, 2006
(Atlanta, GA) - Local, state, and federal public health officials have been closely monitoring three cases of foodborne botulism in Washington County. Investigators determined that the three persons shared two meals and all consumed carrot juice from the same container before becoming ill. The individuals stated that the carrot juice did not taste right when questioned by investigators. Carrot juice collected from one of the patient’ s homes tested positive for Clostridium botulinum toxin and further investigation is underway.
"At this time, we believe that these three cases are an isolated incident, and the Georgia Division of Public Health is working diligently with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Georgia Department of Agriculture to further investigate this matter and monitor for possible additional cases," stated Dr. Stuart Brown, Director of the Georgia Division of Public Health.
During the investigation, other community members have been identified as having purchased and consumed the same product from the same vendor within the past 3 weeks. These persons have not become ill or developed any symptoms. The fact that additional cases have not been identified suggests the toxin was not present before the sale of the product. The investigation is ongoing and if a concern about a specific product is identified, more information will be made available immediately.
"This unfortunate situation provides us an opportunity to remind Georgians of how important it is to handle and store food properly; cook food to recommended temperatures; carefully read and follow canned and bottled product labels; and never purchase or consume foods contained in bulging or damaged packaging," said Dr. Brown.
The three patients began showing symptoms of foodborne botulism on Friday, September 8 and are being treated at area hospitals. Foodborne botulism is caused by ingesting a toxin found in food and often involves improperly processed canned foods, foods that are allowed to spoil, or are not refrigerated properly. Following improper processing or handling, the bacteria found in contaminated food produces a toxin that causes symptoms such as blurred vision, general weakness, difficulty swallowing and speaking, difficulty breathing, and can result in death. Symptoms of botulism usually appear 12 – 36 hours after ingestion, but may take several days. Botulism cannot be spread from person to person.
Additional information on botulism can be found at the following link: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/botulism_g.htm.
For information, contact:
Michele Hennessey; 404-657-3288
mbhennessey@dhr.state.ga.us
Print this
|
|