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Anyone at any age can get botulism. Even people who
have had botulism before can get it again if they eat contaminated food.
There seems to be no natural protection from the illness.
The only way someone can get botulism is when they eat food
contaminated with the botulism poison. People do not get botulism from other
people.
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Barbara Riley, MD
Physician, Kanakanak Hospital
Dillingham, Alaska
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"In our Native community,
we are most concerned about people eating fermented Native foods. In
the past, people would bury their fish heads or seal flipper in the
ground and we didnt have many cases of botulism. Now people are
placing their Native foods in either plastic buckets or plastic
bags. Plastic creates an ideal situation for
botulism germs to grow and produce poison."
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"My
two aunties put beaver
tail in plastic and put it under
the stove in
a warm place. It took about 4 days until they ate them. They didnt
make it."
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Sacally
Botulism survivor
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Almost all cases of botulism in Alaska are associated
with Native foods like
 |
Fermented fish
heads, also called "stinky heads" |
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Fermented fish eggs,
also called "stinky eggs" |
|
Fermented beaver
tail |
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Fermented seal
flipper |
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Fermented walrus flipper |
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Fermented whale |
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Seal oil |
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Dried unsalted fish
|
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Lillian Gamechuck
Community Health Practitioner
Manokotak, Alaska
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"My mom got sick from seal
oil and many people dont know they could get botulism from seal
oil. She was lucky to be seen by the doctors early because they
caught it and had enough time to treat her." |
More cases of botulism occur in the summer because that
is when more fermented foods are prepared and eaten. But, people also get
it during other times of the year.
People do not get botulism from another person. Many people eat
fermented food and dont get sick. Most fermented foods do not contain
botulism poison. But some fermented foods do, particularly when they are
prepared in certain ways.
|
"We ate
stinky heads that were fermented
in a plastic bucket
and left open
in the
hot sun."
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Joe and Lucy
Botulism survivors
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Traditional Method
(No botulism poison was found)
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Plastic Bucket
(Botulism poison was found)
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An experiment conducted by CDC measured
botulism poison in fermented fish heads. No botulism poison was found in
the fermented fish heads made in the traditional method by using a
grass-lined hole in the ground. However, botulism poison was found in the
fermented fish heads made in the modern method by using a plastic bucket
with a tight-fitting lid that was buried in the ground.
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Tom Hennessy, MD, MPH
Chief, Epidemiology Branch, Arctic Investigations Program, NCID, CDC
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" Making fermented fish
heads in plastic containers with tight-fitting lids made an ideal
growing situation for the botulism germs. If you make fish heads in
a plastic container with tight-fitting lids, it seems that your risk
of getting botulism is much higher." |
There are several misunderstandings about botulism. For
example, many people believe that freezing food kills botulism poison.
Freezing food does slow the growth of the germ, but does not kill
the germ or destroy the poison. If the botulism germs are not killed, they
can continue growing and produce toxin when the food is thawed out. They
will grow best if the food is kept in a warm container or a plastic
container with a tight-fitting lid.
Another misunderstanding is that foods like soda pop, fried chicken,
and candy cause botulism or that eating modern foods with traditional
fermented foods can cause botulism. Eating fermented foods and drinking
soda pop can cause an upset stomach, but that is not what causes botulism.
Botulism is caused by eating any food containing botulism poison.
It is not the food combinations that cause botulism.
Some people also believe that botulism is caused by chemicals dumped
into the water. Botulism germs live naturally in soil, in water, in fish,
and in animals, and we all probably eat botulism germs from time to time.
But, if the germs do not have that ideal growing situation, they dont
make poison, and we dont get sick.
If you have botulism , be sure to quickly see your
doctor or health aide. Also, save the food so it can be tested to
determine if it contains botulism poison.
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Arnie Loera, MD
Clinical Director,
Kanakanak Hospital
Dillingham, Alaska
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"Preservation
of culture is extremely important. It includes language;
it
also
includes traditional foods and food preparation. By using more
traditional methods of preparing
food, Alaska Natives can reduce the
risk of botulism poisoning." |
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Anyone who
eats food that contains botulism poison can get sick. |
|
Although
preparing fermented food using traditional methods appears to
be safer, eating any fermented Native food has some risk of
botulism. |
|
More cases of
botulism occur in summer because that is when more fermented
Native foods are prepared and eaten. But, people also get it
during other times of the year. |
|
People do not get botulism from another person. |
|
Freezing food
slows the growth of the germ, but does not kill the germ or
destroy the poison. |
|
Eating modern
foods combined with traditional fermented foods does not cause
botulism. |
|
Botulism is
not caused by chemicals dumped into the water. Botulism germs
live naturally in the soil, in the water, in fish, and on
animals. |
|
If you think
you have botulism, be sure to quickly see your doctor or
health aide, and save the food so it can be tested. |
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