A number of patients have been admitted to the Fairfield Medical Center (FMC) in Ohio, displaying botulism symptoms after attending a potluck at Lancaster's Cross Pointe Free Will Baptist Church on Sunday.
According to reports, one has died due to the incident while 20 others have been sickened. Those in FMC are undergoing tests to rule out other conditions but several have been confirmed to have botulism. The hospital has coordinated already with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is in the process of delivering botulism anti-toxins to Ohio.
In a statement, the FMC said it is still gathering more information about the patients and the incident. It has assembled a team to handle the emergency, working with the local community and reaching out to regional health care contacts for support.
The hospital also reiterated that while botulism is a serious condition, a rare paralytic disease resulting from a nerve toxin, it is not contagious. Therefore, the local community is not in immediate danger, as well as patients and guests currently at FMC.
"The fatality rate is usually fairly low, but there really isn't a lot of treatment and nobody has received any of the anti-toxin yet," said FMC's Dr. Andrew Murry.
But even though the anti-toxin has been administered, it can take weeks for patients to fully recover, he added.
Murry explained that botulism typically comes from canned food. This means green beans, potatoes and basically anything with low acidity that can be preserved through the canning process. Unfortunately, the bacteria responsible for botulism don't outwardly make canned food go bad.
"You wouldn't really know that it was contaminated until you eat it," he said.
Botulism symptoms can be observed between 18 and 36 hours of eating contaminated food but it is possible for the disease to manifest up to 10 days after the offending food item was consumed. Symptoms of botulism include: blurred vision, double vision, droopy eyelids and difficulty with swallowing.
It is estimated that about 50 to 60 individuals were at the potluck, each one advised to head for the nearest emergency department when they start feeling botulism symptoms. Those who were in attendance at the potluck but are not sure if they should be seeking medical attention can call FMC's emergency hotline 740-687-8053 .
Cross Pointe pastor Bill Pitts recounted the potluck was like all the others the church has thrown so the incident was highly surprising.
"My heart is crying, and I pray for the people and their families," said Pitts.
Photo: Steven Depolo | Flickr
