Six vials of antidote were brought from Switzerland to save the patient.

The Ministry of Health stated that six vials of botulinum antitoxin, transferred from a warehouse in Switzerland to Ho Chi Minh City on May 24th by the World Health Organization (WHO), were administered to three patients suffering from botulinum poisoning.

These three patients, who suffered botulinum poisoning from eating pork sausage and fish sauce, have been treated at Cho Ray Hospital for over a week. They are all on ventilators and are almost completely paralyzed due to the lack of an antidote.

To obtain the antidote, yesterday afternoon, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan requested the WHO to provide botulinum antitoxin to Vietnam. Immediately afterwards, six vials of Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent (BAT) were sent by the WHO from its warehouse in Switzerland and have arrived in Ho Chi Minh City. Thus, thanks to the antitoxin from the WHO, the patients have a chance of recovery.

Botulinum poisoning is caused by infection with the toxin of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and is very rare in Vietnam and worldwide . The main cause is contamination with bacterial toxins in poor-quality food or consuming improperly preserved food. Since 2020, there have been a few scattered cases each year, with 6 cases reported in Ho Chi Minh City since May 13th.

According to the Ministry of Health, the disease is very rare, so the supply of the cure is also very limited worldwide. This drug is not easily secured in terms of supply and is very expensive (US$8,000 per vial). BAT is not currently included in the list of drugs covered by insurance.

To be more proactive in managing the supply of anti-poisoning drugs in particular, and drugs with limited supply in general, the Ministry of Health is developing a mechanism to ensure the availability of rare drugs. The solution is to establish centers for storing rare drugs in socio-economic regions; at the same time, a mechanism is needed to reimburse for rare drugs that have been stored but have expired due to disuse because there are no patients.

A vial of botulinum antitoxin was administered to three pediatric patients at Children's Hospital 2. Photo: Provided by the hospital.

Since May 13th, five people in Thu Duc City have suffered botulinum poisoning from eating street-sold pork sausage, and one person is suspected to have contracted it from eating fermented fish sauce. Three children aged 10-14 years old received antidotes and are being treated at Children's Hospital 2, and their condition is improving. Two cases are at Cho Ray Hospital, and the remaining person is at Gia Dinh People's Hospital; all are receiving supportive treatment as the antidote is no longer available.

Botulinum is an extremely potent neurotoxin produced by anaerobic bacteria – bacteria that thrive in enclosed environments such as canned food, or food environments that do not meet the standards for inhibiting bacterial growth.

Symptoms of botulinum poisoning include abdominal pain, muscle pain, fatigue, blurred or double vision, dry mouth, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids, and generalized muscle weakness. Eventually, the patient experiences difficulty breathing or respiratory failure due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles. The onset of these signs varies depending on the amount of botulinum ingested.

Le Nga

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