Types

• People with botulism may develop problems with vision, breathing and swallowing; nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain; and paralysis beginning in the face. Infants might also develop constipation, inability to control head movement and tiredness.
  
  

Time Frame

• Symptoms of botulism from food usually start 12 to 36 hours after the toxin is ingested. Botulism that enters through a wound takes about 10 days to cause symptoms of infection.
  
  

Causes

• Botulism can be caused by eating food, especially home canned food, that contains the botulism toxin. Wounds can become contaminated with soil that contains the Clostridium botulinum bacteria. And infant botulism usually results from feeding infants honey.
  
  

Considerations

• People who use black tar heroin are at a higher risk of developing symptoms of botulism due to skin wounds and methods of mixing and using the drug.
  
  

Treatments

• Doctors might induce vomiting or pump the stomach to treat food botulism. An injection of antitoxin might be used for early stage symptoms of food or wound botulism. Respiratory and physical therapy might be necessary for people with respiratory symptoms.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• Botulism can be prevented by using proper home canning techniques for preserving food and boiling them before consumption. Also, keep herbal cooking oils refrigerated, seek care for wounds, and avoiding giving honey to babies less than one year old.