Two Ohioans hospitalized with botulism

Almost always resulting in some form of paralysis (and then hospitalization), botulism is one of the scariest foodborne illnesses out there. It’s why I’m super careful with the canning I do at home and pay attention to storage of low-acid foods.

Last week a recall alert alluded to 2 cases of botulism in Ohio linked to VR Farms jarred pesto.

According to Fox 19, the victims are in Cincinnati and were both hospitalized.

Two Cincinnati residents have been hospitalized with botulism after a nationwide recall of California sauces.

Steven Englender, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness in the Cincinnati Health Department, said they have found presumptive laboratory evidence of type B botulism and confirmed two clinical cases of botulism.newpesto72_large-229x300

Englender said in an email to city spokesman Rocky Merz Monday that the patients, both in their 20s, were improving. One patient was on a ventilator and had been transferred to an acute long-term care facility. The other patient was off assisted breathing. That patient may have since been discharged.

The Cincinnati Health Department says a pesto sauce seems to be the cause in both cases.

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About Ben Chapman

Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. As a teenager, a Saturday afternoon viewing of the classic cable movie, Outbreak, sparked his interest in pathogens and public health. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, maybe not surprisingly, Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman.