Two paralysed after drinking infected carrot juice

TORONTO - Two people are paralyzed after drinking botulism-contaminated carrot juice, some of which was still found on store shelves 10 days after a Canada-wide recall, Toronto health officials said today.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned consumers on September 30 not to drink Bolthouse Farms 100% Carrot Juice, Earthbound Farm Organic Carrot Juice and President's Choice Organics 100% Pure Carrot Juice, all of U.S. origin, "due to botulism concerns."

Canadian distributors had immediately recalled the contaminated products. But as of Monday night, Toronto officials found the juice in 11 of 788 stores checked during a four-day blitz, said Rishma Govani, spokeswoman for Toronto Public Health.

The two victims remain in hospital in serious condition, Govani said.

Juice remaining in their carrot juice bottles was found to contain the botulism toxin.

Although contaminated products were distributed across the country, cases of the toxin have only been confirmed in Toronto.

"Botulism is a rare food poisoning but with very serious consequences ... I don't recall any such poisoning actually happening (in Canada) from a commercially-prepared food," said Davendra Sharma, officer of food safety and recall at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Ottawa.

Botulism can cause nausea, fatigue, double-vision, paralysis and respiratory failure. In severe cases, the toxin can be fatal.

Botulism can be treated with an antitoxin to prevent further paralysis, but any paralysis that has already occurred cannot be medically reversed.

Toronto has seen only six cases since 1995, said Dr. Barbara Yaffe of Toronto Public Health.

The bacteria is "ubiquitous in soil around the world," Yaffe said, and needs only the right conditions to attach itself to vegetables such as carrots.

Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning linking four cases of botulism to carrot juice.

- REUTERS