LANCASTER, Ohio, April 22 (UPI) -- One person has died and at least 20 others have been hospitalized with suspected botulism after a church potluck picnic in Central Ohio, local hospital officials said.
At least five patients are critically ill and in intensive care, officials at the Fairfield Medical Center said. All of the patients had attended a picnic at Cross Pointe Free Will Baptist Church in Lancaster on Sunday.
Botulism is a rare paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin and is treated with an anti-toxin. It is not contagious and is often linked to contaminated food.
"The fatality rate is usually fairly low," Fairfield Medical Center's Dr. Andrew Murry said. "But there really isn't a lot of treatment, and nobody has received any of the anti-toxin yet. But it is being sent in as quickly as we can get it" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms of the illness usually appear about 36 hours after eating contaminated food, but can start as many as 10 days later. Symptoms include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids and difficulty swallowing.
