Two patients with botulinum poisoning gradually recover

Ho Chi Minh City Two brothers who were poisoned by botulinum after eating street-sold pork roll gradually recovered and were transferred to Hau Giang General Hospital to continue treatment in the nutrition and exercise phase.

On June 9, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thuy Ngan, Deputy Head of the Department of Tropical Diseases at Cho Ray Hospital, said that the two patients entered the stage of improving their physical condition and practicing abdominal exercises.

Both are currently conscious, communicative, and have stable vital signs. The older brother can perform some simple medical commands, but his ability to breathe on his own is still limited. This patient was admitted to the hospital with a muscle strength of 3-4/5, but then it gradually worsened to 2-3/5, with weak respiratory muscles. The younger brother initially had more severe muscle paralysis, with muscle strength of only 1/5 without improvement. Now he is conscious, can hear and nod his head, but cannot perform medical commands or perform simple movements.

The two patients are still on ventilators, and have been for nearly a month. Doctors believe that they will need to practice for at least two months before they can breathe on their own. Therefore, to prevent the risk of infection as well as to facilitate the care of their families, the two patients were transferred to a local hospital for continued treatment.

The hospital fees outside the health insurance list of the two brothers were 130 million VND, funded by the Social Work Department of Cho Ray Hospital through the mobilization of benefactors.

Representative of Cho Ray Hospital (left) presents Notice of hospital fee assistance to the families of two patients. Photo: Provided by the hospital

These two brothers are among 6 people in Ho Chi Minh City who have been poisoned by botulinum since May 13. Of these, 5 people in Thu Duc City were poisoned after eating street-sold pork roll and one person is suspected of eating fish sauce.

Among the patients, three children aged 10-14 were given the antidote BAT and treated at Children's Hospital 2. Their health improved more quickly and one child was discharged. The remaining three ran out of antidote, including the two brothers above and the person who ate the fish sauce. Doctors could only provide supportive treatment.

On May 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) transferred 6 vials of antidote from Switzerland to Vietnam to treat the patient, but it was too late. The two brothers had passed the "golden" time to use the antidote, the remaining patient died just before receiving the antidote.

Two samples of pork sausage taken from the patient’s home and the production facility in Thu Duc City tested negative for botulinum toxin. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the poisoning.

Botulinum is a very strong neurotoxin, produced by anaerobic bacteria - bacteria that prefer closed environments such as canned food, or food environments that do not meet the standards to inhibit bacterial growth.

Symptoms of poisoning include abdominal pain, muscle pain, fatigue, blurred or double vision, dry mouth, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids, and general muscle weakness. Finally, the patient has difficulty breathing or cannot breathe due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles. These signs appear slowly or quickly depending on the amount of botulinum ingested.

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