MONDAY, 12.11.2026 /Khovar National Information Agency/. With the onset of winter, the population's demand for canned products, including home-prepared vegetables and fruits, pickled products, marinated mushrooms, preserved meat and fish, increases. At the same time, non-observance of sanitary and hygienic rules, correct technology of heat treatment, disinfection of containers and storage requirements of canned products can lead to serious infectious diseases and food poisoning. In this regard, the director of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Control Center of Sughd region, Sultan Rahmonzoda, expressed the following opinion.
One of the diseases that people get as a result of poisoning is botulism. If it is not diagnosed and treated in time, it can cause tragic consequences, including paralysis of the respiratory muscles and death.
Botulism and its origin
Botulism is a serious poisoning disease caused by a special poison entering the human body. The cause of the disease is widespread in nature, soil, water and environment. Its spores can enter some food products, especially vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, meat and fish.
The dangerous feature of this bacterium is that it can grow and produce botulinum toxin in conditions of lack of oxygen, low acid environment and inappropriate storage conditions. Such conditions can occur in some improperly preserved home products, especially in tightly closed containers.
Which products are more dangerous?
- Homemade canned vegetables, including cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and other low-acid vegetables.
- Canned and marinated mushrooms at home.
- Canned meat and fish.
- Dry, smoked, salted and improperly stored fish.
- Various household products sealed in hermetically sealed containers, produced without observing safe preparation technology. Seemingly healthy products can also contain botulinum toxin.
Disease symptoms
This disease appears from 12 to 36 hours after consuming the poisoned product, but it can appear later, from a few hours to 8 days. The first signs of the disease are general weakness and lethargy, dizziness and headache, dry mouth, blurred vision and double vision, drooping of the eyelids, difficulty in speaking and pronouncing words, difficulty in swallowing food and water, nausea, vomiting, and in some cases abdominal pain.
In severe stages, the disease can cause weakness and paralysis of the muscles of the body, including the muscles responsible for breathing. An important feature of botulism is that the patient may not have a fever and may not lose consciousness despite severe poisoning. Therefore, the absence of fever should not be considered as a sign of a mild condition of the patient.
Negative effects
Botulinum toxin has a negative effect on the nervous system, disrupting the transmission of nerve impulses to muscles. As a result, muscles lose their normal ability to function. If the poisoning is severe, the activity of the respiratory muscles is disturbed, and the patient may need the help of artificial respiration.
Treatment of the disease is carried out in the conditions of a medical institution, with the fastest possible use of antibotulinum serum (antitoxin) and, in necessary cases, resuscitation measures.
Ways to prevent this disease
In order to prevent illness and protect the health of yourself and your family, it is necessary to observe the following rules:
- Follow proper canning rules.
When preparing homemade preserves, use only proven methods and reliable recommendations for safe canning technology. For low-acid products, including most vegetables, it is necessary to use a special pressure canner according to approved instructions. Simple boiling of containers or short-term heat treatment is not enough to destroy the spores that cause botulism.
- Use quality raw materials.
Vegetables and fruits, mushrooms, meat and fish should be fresh, high-quality and free from impurities. Do not use rotten, damaged and questionable products for canning.
- Prepare canning containers carefully.
Glass containers and lids must be clean and prepared according to the established technology. Do not use cracked, rusted containers or damaged lids.
- Follow the pickling and brining technology.
When preparing marinated products, the required amount of vinegar, salt and other substances should be used according to the tested instructions. Do not increase or decrease their amount arbitrarily.
- Store the product in appropriate conditions.
Canned products should be stored in accordance with technological requirements in a suitable place, away from heat sources and in compliance with the storage period. After opening the container, store the product in the refrigerator.
- Avoid consuming questionable canned goods.
If the cap of the container is swollen, its seal is broken, the product foams, leaks, or has an abnormal appearance, do not consume it. However, it should be remembered that the presence of botulinum toxin is not always determined by changes in the smell, color, taste and appearance of the product. Even one taste of a questionable product can be enough to cause poisoning!
- Pay attention to the products of industrial production as well.
Buy canned goods from reliable outlets and pay attention to their labeling, expiration date, integrity of packaging and storage conditions.
First aid to a sick person
If a person experiences the above-mentioned symptoms after consuming home-made preserves or other food products, seek emergency medical help immediately. Take the patient to a medical facility as soon as possible and inform the doctors about what product he consumed and when he ate it. Also, keep the rest of the possibly poisoned products separately and do not dispose of them without the permission of specialists. Submit the remaining product for laboratory examination to the responsible specialists in compliance with safety requirements. Stop using the same product until the possible source of poisoning is identified.
Do not self-medicate at home. The use of drugs, antibiotics and other means without a doctor's recommendation cannot replace the special treatment of botulism.
Prevention of botulism is not only the responsibility of health workers, it is the responsibility of every family, producer, seller and consumer. Parents should pay close attention to children's food, the products they use, and their storage conditions. It is forbidden to give honey to children under one year old, because it can become a source of spores that cause infant botulism.
Managers of markets and trading points, entrepreneurs and persons responsible for the production and sale of food products are required to strictly follow sanitary and epidemiological rules, storage requirements and the period of use of products.
PHOTO: State Sanitary and Epidemiological Control Center of Sughd Region
Translated automatically from Tajik.
Source: Khovar News Agency · khovar.tj
