Ho Chi Minh City: One of two patients with botulinum poisoning treated at Cho Ray Hospital suffered from progressive muscle paralysis, with muscle strength remaining at 2/5.
The information was announced by Dr. CK2 Do Thi Ngoc Khanh, Deputy Head of the Department of Tropical Diseases, Cho Ray Hospital, on the afternoon of May 26. This person, a 26-year-old male, had muscle strength of 3-4/5 when admitted to the hospital, meaning he could move a little and breathe on his own. A few days after admission, the patient had to be put on a ventilator. Up to now, after 14 days of treatment, muscle strength has continued to decrease, to 2-3/5, the doctor determined that the condition of muscle paralysis is getting worse.
This patient's younger brother, 18 years old, also had botulinum poisoning, had to be on a ventilator from the beginning, had muscle paralysis, and had only 1/5 of his muscle strength, meaning almost complete paralysis. Currently, this patient has not shown any improvement or recovery.
When poisoned, the two brothers were not given antidotes because the country ran out of them, and doctors could only provide supportive treatment. On May 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) transferred 6 vials of antidotes (BAT) from Switzerland to Vietnam to treat the patients, but it was too late. The two brothers had passed the "golden" time to use the antidotes.
"We are trying to use active treatments to prevent complications and stop the disease from progressing to a worse state for the patients," said Dr. Khanh, adding that it is currently impossible to predict what may happen to these two patients.
Doctors from Cho Ray and Nhi Dong 2 hospitals exchange expertise in treating patients with botulinum poisoning. Photo: Provided by the hospital
From May 13 to now, 5 people in Thu Duc City have been poisoned by botulinum due to eating street-sold pork rolls and one person is suspected of having eaten fish sauce. Of these, three children aged 10-14 were given antidotes and treated at Children's Hospital 2. Their condition is improving, and one child has been discharged. The remaining three cases ran out of antidotes, including the two brothers above, and one patient (who ate fish sauce) died before receiving antidotes sponsored by WHO.
On the evening of May 25, two samples of pork sausage taken from the patient’s home and the production facility in Thu Duc City tested negative for botulinum toxin. A representative of the Thu Duc City Health Department said they are considering fining the production facility for operating for nearly two months without a license or sign.
Authorities have not yet determined 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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