Fairfield Medical Center has updated information on the botulism outbreak linked to the Cross Point Free Will Baptist Church in Lancaster, Ohio. There are 18 suspected cases, including the death of a 54-year-old woman. None of these cases have been confirmed through laboratory testing. Twenty-one more people have sought treatment at area hospitals as a precaution.
All of those affected attended a potluck at the church on Sunday, April 19, 2015. About 60 people were in attendance. If you attended that event, go to an emergency room for questions and a health evaluation. The longer treatment is delayed, the more serious the resulting illness will be.
The hospital made arrangements with the Centers for Discase Controla nd Prevention (CDC) to obtain botulism anti-toxin. The medicine arrived overnight. FMC’s incident command center is activated. They are partnering with the Fairfield Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Health, the CDC, and the Central Ohio Trauma System. The emergency hotline number dedicated to this event is 740-687-8053.
The symptoms of botulism poisoning include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, difficult swallowing, and shortness of breath. As the toxin affects the nervous system, the patient will become unable to breathe on his own.
Botulism is not contagious. It is usually transmitted through improperly canned food. The bacteria grows in low oxygen environments and produces the botulinum toxin. The most common foods associated with this bacteria are canned low-acid foods such as cheese, meat, and beans, baked potatoes wrapped in foil, and oil infused with herbs or garlic.
