Government warns of botulism threat

Two members of the same family contracted the condition after consuming the korma sauce from a 350g jar in Scotland yesterday.

Only one jar from the batch is known to have been contaminated with the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, but the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture is advising people not to eat products from this batch as a precautionary measure.

Botulism is rare in the both the UK and the Isle of Man and is caused by toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which attacks the nervous system and can affect people of any age. 

The infection is not contagious and so cannot be spread from person to person. 

Symptoms of foodborne botulism typically begin between 12 and 36 hours after ingestion of contaminated food, but may appear in as little as six hours.

Symptoms to look out for are a combination of blurred vision, difficulty swallowing and difficulty speaking – symptoms that rapidly get worse. They are then followed by general muscle weakness. 

Any person, child or adult, with these symptoms should seek urgent medical advice. Antitoxins have proved very effective in treating the condition if treated early, although full recovery may take several months.

Anyone who has consumed this product and is concerned about the symptoms above should seek urgent medical advice.