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A botulism outbreak has sickened 20 people and killed one person after those people attended a church potluck in Ohio. All of the patients who were brought to the Fairfield Medical Center Emergency Department in Lancaster, Ohio attended a potluck on Sunday, April 19, 2015 at the Cross Pointe Free Will Baptist Church in Lancaster.

Five people are in the Intensive Care Unit, and ten were transported to hospitals in Columbus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sending anti-toxin to the hospitals in the area. Some of the patients are on ventilators.

Clostridium botulinum bacteria produce a toxin that paralyzes nerves. The bacteria grows in anaerobic environments (without oxygen) and can be present in improperly canned low-acid foods such as canned green beans or canned meat. If the food is not processed correctly, the spores of the bacteria can survive, and then grow, producing the toxin. Effects of this toxin can be deadly, and it only takes a tiny amount to make someone very sick.

The symptoms of botulism poisoning include double and blurred vision, drooping eyelids, difficulty swallowing, trouble speaking, and tiredness. The paralysis progresses and eventually causes paralysis of the breathing muscles and death. Symptoms usually appear within 18 to 36 hours after ingesting the toxin, but some people won’t become sick up to 10 days later.

Only 145 cases of botulism are reported in the entire country in a typical year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And only about 15% of those cases are foodborne. Most are cases of infant botulism; 20% are caused by contamination of a wound. Botulism is not contagious so there is no threat to the community.

If you were at that event in Lancaster and have been experiencing any of these symptoms, please go to an emergency department immediately. Treatment is available and effective, but the best results occur with early intervention. Patients are treated with an anti-toxin that is not available at all hospitals. Doctors can request the anti-toxin from government officials. Please also call the hospital’s emergency hotline at 740-687-8053 if you aren’t sure if you have been affected by this food poisoning outbreak.