Clinical and epidemiological features of typical food botulism in children in the Republic of Tajikistan

Abstract

Aim. To study the clinical and epidemiological features of typical foodborne botulism in children.Materials and methods. We conducted an epidemiological investigation of 132 registered cases of typical foodborne botulism in the Republic of Tajikistan in 2019 and 2020. The clinical observation was carried out for 24 sick children in hospitals of the State Institution “City Children’s Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital” and the Central District Hospital of Gissar. The diagnosis was established based on clinical and epidemiological data with the establishment of patients’ consumption of preservatives prepared from vegetables at homeResearch and discussion. In the Republic of Tajikistan, according to the Republican Sanitary and Epidemiological Service for 2019 and 2020, only 132 patients with botulism were registered, with the largest number of diseases, 68 (51.5%), registered in 2019, and in 2021, 64 (48.5%). Analysis of the incidence of botulism for The presented period indicates that the disease in the Republic of Tajikistan was registered in the form of sporadic cases. Botulism disease was of a group (mostly familial) nature and in 2019 19 (14.4%) cases were detected, in 2020 17 (12.8%) cases with the number of victims from 3 to 5. The age structure of patients with botulism was predominantly adults (62%) over children (38%).Conclusion. Epidemiological features of typical foodborne botulism in children in the Republic of Tajikistan showed that in cases 78 (59.1%) of the disease, it was registered after the consumption of traditional canned homemade products in the form of mixed vegetable spices (shakarob) and the autumn-winter period (100%).