Field Staff,
Many of you have now heard of the Botulism outbreak in the Midwest. Botulism is not communicable, but can kill entire families if it is foodborne. You will see in the files attached below that six people have already died. There have been three cases of foodborne and three of infant. Other than the deceased we have twelve people currently in hospitals. The deceased could not afford the antitoxin Botulism Immune Globulin Intravenous. We have to act, if a patient shows signs of Botulism we must administer the drug and hope for the best. Parents are looking to us, the Center for Disease Control for answers. Botulism is not the yearly common cold outbreak, this is life and death. When you go out to these hospitals, take precautions. Wear your hazmat suits and oxygen masks. After you arrive, take blood samples, tissue samples and stomach contents if the patient was diagnosed in the last forty eight hours. Ask the patient about everything they have eaten in the last week. I cannot express this enough. Food is key in this operation. If the patient is adult as them if they have taken any drugs in the past year. Botulism can be closed and shut in a manner of days if we can pinpoint how to kill the virus. Even with the antitoxin there is not an absolute survival rate. The bacterium Clostridium botulinum is highly resistant to light and heat. There is no easy was to kill this virus. At our headquarters we are working on a theory that controlled radiation and the most powerful antibiotics can cure patients of this disease. Try to work as fast as you can to send data back. Be sure that you record the patient’s actions, symptoms and energy. Botulism will kill every one of these people if you do not act rapidly and help us find a cure. Thank you for your cooperation, Lauryn Gibbs M.D. Director, Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases Center for Disease Control and Prevention |
My personal opinion on Botulism is that it is underestimated. No one hears Botulism and thinks death. One might think that dying from Botulism is like dying from the seasonal flu, unreasonable. In reality Botulism can kill in the span of the week. Botulism causes paralysis and can spread to your heart. Many parents do not think twice about giving their baby honey sticks on Halloween but the spores can kill their child. People need to become more educated about what Botulism can really do to them, their family or their child.
Canned foods compromised that could contain Botulism.
A baby suffering from infant Botulism.
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Botulism | Analysis |