In June 2024, at least 139 people in Russia were poisoned with botulism, resulting in at least 70 people having to be hospitalized in serious condition and 30 people having to go to the intensive care unit. The Russian health ministry linked at least some of the cases of botulism to two brands of ready-to-eat salads containing canned beans, one of which was sold by food delivery service Kukhnya Na Rayone. As a result, the Rospotrebnadzor national food health agency and local health agencies issued a nation-wide recall of the salads, which Kukhnya Na Rayone participated in.[1]
| 2024 Russian botulism outbreak | |
|---|---|
 Clostridium botulinum in a petri dish | |
| Disease | Botulism |
| Bacteria strain | Clostridium botulinum |
| Location | Russia |
Type | Theorized to be ready-to-eat salads spread by food delivery |
| Confirmed cases | 169 |
| Severe cases | 76+ |
| Critical cases | 30+ |
Territories | Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan |
Outbreak
editAs of 18 June 2024, 121 people in Moscow were diagnosed with botulism after going to their practitioner for help, 55 of the affected were in serious condition, and 30 people needed to be moved to the intensive care unit. In the outlying Moscow metropolitan area, 20 people were hospitalized with twelve in serious condition. Fourteen people were diagnosed with botulism in Nizhny Novgorod with nine of them in serious condition, and fourteen people in Kazan needed to be hospitalized due to symptoms of botulism.[2]
Kukhnya Na Rayone, a Russian food delivery service based in Moscow, had one two brands of recalled salads on their menu, which contained canned beans. Shortly after early cases were announced, Kukhnya Na Rayone posted an online statement stating that it would recall the salad and would inspect other food options they hosted on their menu to avoid further botulism poisoning cases.[1]
The Moscow prosecutor's office began a criminal investigation to determine if Kukhnya Na Rayone breached consumer safety standards, temporarily shutting down operations of the company. Moscow Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova stated that due to prompt treatment of the symptoms with anti-toxins in hospitals, there was no longer any "threat to the lives" of the patients treated in Moscow.[3]
Three people were detained by Russian authorities: Kukhnya Na Rayone director Anton Lozin; its quality department head, Yelena Mashkova, and Savon-K director Vladimir Shin from the company that made the canned beans.[2] Authorities claimed that the food companies involved "violated multiple sanitary and epidemiological standards" including failing to submit laboratory test reports for food quality, not effectively regulating production control, and facilitating the illegal immigration of Uzbek citizens.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "139 people in Russia seek medical help with botulism symptoms. Ready-to-eat salads may be to blame". AP News. 2024-06-17. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ a b "Russian authorities arrest 3 people after dozens are hospitalized with botulism symptoms". AP News. 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ^ "Dozens Hospitalized in Moscow Amid Mass Food Poisoning Incident". The Moscow Times. 2024-06-17. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ "Russia makes arrests after dozens fall ill with suspected botulism". NBC News. 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2024-06-18.