Dozens of people hospitalized due to mass poisoning in Moscow

More than 120 people have sought medical attention and at least 30 are in intensive care after a suspected outbreak of rare and extremely dangerous food poisoning in Moscow, health officials said on Monday.

The patients were hospitalized with suspected food-borne botulism, a life-threatening disease that attacks the nervous system and can lead to respiratory arrest and paralysis.

Russian authorities said the poison gas poisoning was caused by salads sold by a popular online delivery service, which temporarily suspended operations on Sunday amid a criminal investigation.

“In total, 121 people sought medical help,” state media agencies quoted Moscow Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova as saying on Monday.

“Currently, 55 people are in serious condition, 30 of them in intensive care,” she added.

The state consumer and health authority Rospotrebnadzor said at the weekend that it was conducting an “epidemiological investigation into suspected cases of botulism”.

Meanwhile, the Moscow prosecutor’s office announced that it had launched a criminal investigation into violations of consumer protection standards.

Deputy Mayor Rakova said that there was “no danger to the lives” of those hospitalized because medical assistance had been provided in a timely manner.

According to the World Health Organization, foodborne botulism can be fatal without prompt treatment with antitoxins. Botulism is an extremely rare disease that is not transmitted between humans and is usually caused by improperly processed food.

The food supplier linked to the outbreak, Kuchnia Na Rayone, said it had identified a “potential risk incident” related to a salad that used canned beans and had suspended delivery of orders.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there were 82 confirmed cases of botulism across the European Economic Area in 2021, the latest year with available data.