A suspected outbreak of food poisoning in Moscow has raised alarm, with over 120 people seeking medical assistance and at least 30 in intensive care.
Health officials suspect the illness to be food-borne botulism, an extremely dangerous condition that affects the nervous system and can lead to respiratory failure and paralysis.
Russian authorities have identified salads distributed by a prominent online delivery service as the source of the toxic outbreak.
Consequently, the delivery service has temporarily suspended its operations as a criminal investigation unfolds. The situation underscores the serious health risks associated with food contamination and highlights the importance of stringent safety measures in food handling and distribution.
“In total 121 people sought medical help,” state news agencies quoted Anastasia Rakova, the deputy mayor of Moscow, as saying on Monday.
“At the moment 55 people are in a serious condition, 30 of them in intensive care,” she added.
The city’s consumer and health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has initiated an epidemiological investigation into suspected cases of botulism, while the Moscow prosecutor’s office has launched a criminal investigation into a breach of consumer safety standards.
Deputy Mayor Rakova has assured the public that timely medical intervention has mitigated the threat to the lives of those hospitalized.
According to the World Health Organization, botulism cases can be fatal without prompt treatment with antitoxins.
The condition is rare and typically arises from improperly processed food, often associated with canned and preserved goods. Importantly, botulism does not spread between individuals.
The food delivery company implicated in the outbreak, Kuchnia Na Rayone (“local kitchen”), has acknowledged a potential risk incident involving a salad containing tinned beans and has suspended orders as a precautionary measure.
In 2021, there were 82 confirmed cases of botulism across the European Economic Area, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
