Botulism in Ukraine

07 Jul 2017

On 4 July 2017 the United Nations Development Programme reported that since the beginning of 2017, there have been 76 cases and 8 deaths due to an outbreak of botulism. For the whole of 2016 there were 96 episodes of botulism food poisoning, affecting 115 people with 9 deaths.

Recent cases have been linked to consumption of dried fish and stews: both bought and prepared at home.

On 4 July 2017 Ukraine received a shipment of botulinum antitoxin from Canada in order to treat cases.

Advice for Travellers

Travellers should avoid/exercise caution around food that is home canned/preserved; honey from local unregulated suppliers have occasionally been shown to be a source and should not consumed, especially by infants. Many cases of botulism are also linked to food that is improperly refrigerated prior to consumption; travellers should not store food unless they have access to appropriate facilities.