On March 21, in Thailand, 143 people were poisoned after consuming bamboo shoots. Medical experts indicated that the cause was the botulinum bacteria. This type of bacteria is commonly used in the production of biological weapons…
The Thai Health Minister reported that last week, 143 individuals experienced stomach pain and muscle weakness after eating bamboo shoots at a temple festival in the northern province of Nan. Among them, 39 people are in critical condition.
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Botulinum bacteria (Photo: osel.cz) |
An expert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has arrived in Nan province to investigate the cause and has urgently sent 50 doses of antitoxin serum for the patients.
The UK and Canada have also provided antitoxin serum to Thailand. Thai officials stated that the source of the contaminated food remains unclear, but the food was indeed contaminated.
Each year, cases of toxic botulinum bacteria are reported in Thailand and around the world. However, this is the first time that tests have confirmed food contaminated with botulinum bacteria in Thailand, with a similar incident occurring in the north in 1998, also linked to bamboo shoots.
American health experts are actively researching the cause in preparation for potential biological weapon attacks in the U.S. After a press conference, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced that the Thai government has approved an emergency budget of 33 million baht (equivalent to 851,000 USD and 701,000 Euro) to assist the latest victims of poisoning.
About half of this amount will be used for the victims receiving antitoxin serum.
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