Botulism

The symptoms of botulism can include:

• blurred or double vision
• drooping eyelids
• difficulty swallowing and speaking
• weak muscles, particularly in your face
• constipation
• dry mouth

In babies and young children, symptoms may also include:

• a weak cry, or crying that sounds different to normal
• difficulty feeding
• being quieter or less active than usual, or constantly sleepy
• having a limp or floppy head, neck, arms or legs

If not treated quickly, botulism can lead to you not being able to move parts of your body (paralysis).

This spreads down from your head to the rest of your body and can affect the muscles that control your breathing.

Botulism needs immediate treatment in hospital. It can be life-threatening if not treated quickly.

The main treatment for botulism is:

• medicine to stop the symptoms getting worse, given into a vein through a drip (IV)
• helping your body do things until you recover, like using a ventilator to help you breathe

If the botulism was caused by bacteria getting into a wound, you may also need medicine to treat the infection and surgery to remove any infected tissue.

Botulism is a life-threatening condition, but most people recover fully if treated quickly.

The medicine stops symptoms from getting worse but does not treat muscle weakness or paralysis that has already happened.

These symptoms will improve over a few weeks or months, but it can take up to a year for breathing problems and muscle strength to get better.

Some people continue to have longer-term problems such as:

• feeling very tired
• getting out of breath easily
• finding it hard to lift things
• struggling with their mental wellbeing

Botulism is caused when a certain type of bacteria, or the toxin the bacteria make, gets into your body.

This can happen:

• by eating food with the toxin in it – for example, if the food has not been cooked or stored properly (foodborne botulism)
• when a child eats the bacteria in things like honey, or accidentally in soil or sand (infant botulism)
• when too much botulinum toxin is injected into the body – this can happen when the toxin is used as part of a cosmetic procedure or to treat conditions like migraine (iatrogenic botulism)
• when the bacteria gets into a wound, for example from soil not being cleaned out properly or from injecting illegal drugs (wound botulism)

All types of botulism are rare in the UK.

While botulism is rare in the UK, there are still ways to lower your or your child's chances of getting it.

• prepare, cook and store food safely – find out more about food safety on the Food Standards Agency website

• properly clean and cover any cuts and grazes – make sure nothing is left in any cuts

• make sure you choose someone who's trained and qualified to do a cosmetic procedure

• do not give honey to babies younger than 12 months old – honey can contain the bacteria that causes botulism

• do not eat food from tins, jars or bottles that are bulging or damaged

• do not eat food that smells bad or is past its use-by date – if you're unsure, do not eat it

• do not inject illegal drugs – get help for drug addiction

Symptoms of botulism include weak face muscles, drooping eyelids, blurred or double vision and difficulty speaking. Babies may also be limp or floppy.

You can get botulism from bacteria or their toxin getting into your body, for example from eating contaminated food, or through a cut or wound.

Treatment for botulism includes medicine to stop symptoms getting worse and supporting your body to do things while you recover, such as breathing.

Most people recover fully from botulism if treated quickly. Symptoms usually improve over a few weeks or months, but it can take longer.

Cook and store food properly, avoid food from damaged tins and do not give honey to babies younger than 12 months old to lower the risk of botulism.