Taiwan reports botulism case in infant, First case in nearly 4 years
The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday a case of botulism poisoning in a northern girl under 1 year old who only consumed breast milk and canned non-staple foods such as fruit puree and vegetable puree.
Since December 22, 2024, constipation, loss of appetite, and gradual decrease in activity have occurred one after another.
By January 4 this year, the symptoms continued and he sought medical treatment and was transferred to hospital for treatment. Later, due to weakened deep tendon reflexes, drooping eyelids, and weakness in the limbs,. After being tested and reported by the hospital, the diagnosis was confirmed by the detection of botulinum toxin and toxin genes in the feces.
The case has been treated with botulinum antitoxin imported from the project and is still being treated in the pediatric intensive care unit. The health unit has sent the food sample of the case for inspection, which is currently under inspection.
Infant botulism and honey pacifiers
According to surveillance data from the Department of Disease Control and Prevention, there are no confirmed cases this year (2025) based on the date of case onset. In the past ten years (2015 to 2024), the cumulative number of cases per year ranges from 0 to 6, all of which are sporadic cases. The age of the cases ranged from under 1 year old to over 70 years old, and 3 of the cases were infants under 1 year old.
Infants under 1 year old have immature immune systems and incomplete intestinal flora. If they accidentally eat food containing botulinum spores, the pathogenic bacteria can easily proliferate in the intestines and produce toxins, causing the disease. The incubation period is about 30 days. Since botulinum toxin spores are widely distributed in nature, the CDC urges infants under 1 year old to avoid feeding honey. Fruits and vegetables with skins may be contaminated with soil and should be thoroughly washed and peeled before food preparation to reduce the risk of botulinum toxin.
Botulism is a rare but serious disease caused by a toxin (poison) that attacks the nervous system and causes paralysis. Anyone can get botulism.
There are different forms of botulism, including foodborne botulism, wound botulism, infant botulism, and iatrogenic botulism (caused by medical injections). Botulism doesn't spread from person to person.
People with botulism usually have weakness or paralysis that starts in the head and face and spreads down to the rest of the body.
Without medical care, botulism can lead to death.