Botulism in children

Botulism is a neurological disease that comes from the spores of a bacterium, and can be reproduced in both adults and children, and can be found in some foods or in the soil. Knowing what it is and recognizing its symptoms helps us to prevent it in the small ones of the house and that they are bett

Botulism is a neurological disease that comes from the spores of a bacterium, and can be reproduced in both adults and children, and can be found in some foods or in the soil. Knowing what it is and recognizing its symptoms helps us to prevent it in the small ones of the house and that they are better.

The fact of having botulism is not alarming in itself, but it can be serious if it is not found in time. Knowing exactly what it is about will make everything go scary when it affects our children.

What is botulism in children

Botulism is a disease that comes from the hand of a bacterium that adopts spores for conditions that are not too favorable, and that because of this can cause substances toxic to the human organism.

We can find it in the soil, in the dust and contamination, and for this reason it can reach some foods that do not have an accurate record, but that could produce botulism in certain adverse conditions. Some of these foods are honey in the case of babies, because if it were damaged by these spores, it could attack your stomach. It could also be found in prepared foods that have not been preserved correctly.

What symptoms botulism presents in children

Once we know what botulism is, it is necessary that we stop to think about what kind of symptoms are presented by children who have it. On the one hand, children usually present a situation after a few hours of drooping eyelids, double vision and even respiratory distress. If we know that they have eaten honey when they are very small or if there is some food that we doubt has been well preserved, it is time to go to the doctor.

Another type of symptoms are the difficulty to stay upright -especially the area of ​​the head-, and even to move. If in addition, we know that they have been in contact with the soil for a long time, the bacteria could be in this place.

How to cure botulism in children

Once we are clear that these symptoms of botulism presentan are present in some of our children, the most important thing is to know how to act accordingly or follow the instructions of a doctor, since it will depend on each case. As a general rule, in the hospital children are usually treated with the injection of antitoxin that should be administered to the minor for recovery. In cases of greater severity, children should also be assisted with mechanical ventilation.