Childhood botulism is a condition that is related to the consumption of contaminated food, directly affecting the functioning of the nervous system, which causes weakness and paralysis of some parts of the body.
This condition occurs mainly in children younger than 6 months, when they ingest spores of botulinum toxin C and it develops in the intestines.
The main sources of spore generation are dust, soil from the air and some food sources such as strawberries, chocolate, honey and many others, so it is recommended not to feed these foods until after 12 months. old.
What are the symptoms that can occur?
- Dry mouth
- Double or blurred vision
- Flabby eyelids
- Swallowing difficulties
- Paralysis of the trunk, arms or legs.
When botulism occurs from contaminated food, symptoms appear 12 to 48 hours after ingestion.
How can I prevent the appearance of this disease?
- Boil food for 10 minutes to destroy toxins.
- Do not give food that appears to be damaged or in poor condition
- Discard any inflated food container, as it may contain gas produced by botulinum toxin C.