WHO rushes botulism antitoxin to Vietnam for 3 poisoned children

Five vials of Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent (BAT) are being transported from Switzerland to Vietnam to treat the patients, WHO’s representative in Vietnam Angela Pratt said.

Pratt said the organization hoped the emergency support would ensure the life-saving medicine reached the patients as quickly as possible.

The shipment will arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, after which Da Nang health authorities will collect the medicine and transport it to the city for treatment.

The antitoxin, which costs about US$8,000 per vial, neutralizes toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, the cause of botulism poisoning.

The medicine is rarely stocked because cases are uncommon and supplies typically have to be imported when infections occur.

Earlier this week, a hospital in Da Nang treated five patients for suspected food poisoning after they ate fermented fish, including one patient who tested positive for Clostridium botulinum, according to health officials.

Three patients, aged 15, 11, and seven, were reported to be in serious condition.

Vietnam has recorded only a small number of botulism cases in recent years.

WHO previously shipped emergency antitoxin from Switzerland to Vietnam during outbreaks in 2020 and 2023, when several patients required treatment.