After two botulism outbreaks were reported in one month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has compiled some tips on home canning, the most common source of foodborne botulism.
In New Mexico, two people sickened with botulism were hospitalized in Texas. In Ohio, at least 21 people who ate at a church potluck were sickened and one of them died.
Botulism is caused by a nerve toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum which is found in soil and dust. Symptoms include: double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, muscle weakness, descending paralysis, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath. Death occurs when the muscles that control breathing are paralyzed.
Between 1996 to 2008, 116 foodborne botulism outbreaks reported to CDC. Of those, 18 were caused by improperly home-canned vegetables. Click the first link of this story for a list of resources on how to safe home-can vegetables.
