A woman in her 50s in southern Taiwan has been hospitalized in the nation’s first confirmed case of Clostridium botulinum poisoning in four years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said that on July 13, the woman began experiencing abdominal pain, diarrhea, a drooping eyelid, difficulty swallowing and speaking, and general weakness.
The woman’s doctor reported the incident and forwarded samples for lab analysis, with the results on Friday last week showing that she had botulism, Lin said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
An investigation by the local health department showed that she lives alone and has a habit of consuming expired food, the CDC said.
The woman was intubated in an intensive care unit and was not available for questioning, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
The toxins generated by C botulinum can cause severe neurotoxicity and most botulism cases are caused by contaminated food, Lin said, adding that symptoms usually begin within 12 to 72 hours after eating the tainted food.
The swiftest onset of symptoms is about two hours, while the slowest is eight days, he said.
The bacterium is most often encountered when food is not well preserved or processed, such as in homemade pickled or canned goods.
The neurotoxin generated by the bacteria is destroyed by high temperatures and can be eliminated if food is boiled for 10 minutes at 100°C, he said.
People should fully heat homemade pickled goods before eating, keep vacuum-sealed products refrigerated or stored as suggested by labeling, and not eat canned food with bulging lids or tops, or those that exude a putrid smell when opened, he said.
Moreover, honey should not be given to infants, as C botulinum spores can sometimes be found in it, Lin said.
If left untreated, fatality rates for botulism are between 30 and 60 percent, but are as low as 10 percent with proper treatment within 24 hours, Lo said.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
RSS