by Health officials remind the public of the dangerous side effects of fake cosmetic injections after nearly 20 cases of the muscle -black disease known as botulism, were reported in Massachusetts and Oregon in June.
Botulism is a medical condition that makes it difficult for people to move, clearly see or breathe. The causes can, in addition to certain contaminated foods, traumatic injury and intestinal problems, are traced to botulinumtoxin type A, a chemical that is used in cosmetic neuromodulator injections such as botox, dysport and daxxi, which blocks muscle movements to reduce or change wrinkles.
These minimally invasive injectables are among the most popular beauty treatments in the United States, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), which Botox describes as a “go-to-to-treatment that patients cannot do without” (the Botox brand is not the only injection that is botulinum type A mill) in 2022) in more than a million) in the most well-known. Neuromodulator injections, the ASPS reported.
The growing popularity of such treatments has also seen the rise of non-approved injections or ‘Dupes’ that can be purchased online. But these knocks offs can be dangerous.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), accident or forged neuromodulator injections can cause botulism in patients, which needs hospitalization.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) is currently investigating 18 cases of botulism that have been returned to injections that were administered in a spa in Milton, Massachusetts, a spokesperson for the organization told Yahoo. On the other side of the country, the public health authorities in Multnomah County, ORE, issued a warning on June 18 after a resident was admitted to the hospital on 6 June with botulism symptoms “after injections of possible fake or incorrectly treated botulinum toxin” of “a person denied to control the injections.”
The recent cases of botulism in Massachusetts and Oregon are not the first to be linked this year to counterfeit or poorly administered botulinum toxin injections. Around the same time last month, 28 cases were reported in northwestern England, who were associated with various non -connected practitioners in Durham County, a spokesperson for the British health security agency told Yahoo.
In April 2024, the CDC started an investigation into 17 cases of botulism reported in nine American states between 4 November 2023 and 11 April 2024. Those cases resulted in 13 hospital admissions and no fatalities. The investigation of the CDC, which was closed in December 2024, showed that some patients “received injections with counterfeit products or products with non -rewarded sources”, while others received “injections from persons who did not follow jurisdictive (state or local) requirements.”
While the investigation of the CDC was aimed at the 17 cases reported between November 4, 2023 and 11 April 2024, the agency noted that it had also received “reports of similar cases, including at least four harmful reactions in August and September coupled to counterfeitulinum products. Some products were injected themselves.”
“Doubt, don’t get the injection,” warned the CDC in the findings of the 2024 study.
How much of a risk is botulism in getting injections such as botox?
The chance of getting botulism from neuromodulator injections is very low, the World Health Organization reported in 2023, especially if it is administered in a medical setting.
“If the botulinum -toxin is well manufactured and comes from a good brand, the power is such that even if it spreads a bit, this does not cause an enormous amount of side effects,” ash mosahebi, professor of plastic surgery at University College London, the bbc said that there was a problem and that we were there. ” manufacture is. “
A spokesperson for ABBVIE, the company that owns Alleran -Eesthetics, who produces Botox, Yahoo told that it has a security program for his supply chain to ensure that all products are safe and sold through authorized distributors.
“We have no reason to assume that our product, Botox, is involved in recent botulism incidents in the UK, Massachusetts or other American states,” the spokesperson for Abbvie said to Yahoo in an e -mail statement. “We also have no evidence to suggest that the clinics and practitioners have been identified that the authorities are customers of Allergan or Abvie.”
“We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to receive botulinum-toxin injections only from recognized and trained medical professionals with the help of products approved by the FDA from authorized suppliers,” said Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Richard Bruno in the press release published on June 18. Echo of the earlier warning from the CDC, Bruno did not add: “Don’t wait,” no doubt about it. “
What are the signs of botulism?
Because botulinumtoxin focuses on muscles, there are common symptoms of botulism, according to the CDC,:
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Difficulty with vision – whether it is from hanging eyelids, double vision or complications that move the eyes
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Muscle weakness throughout the body
The CDC recommends that anyone who has experienced these symptoms within a few days after an injection should visit a doctor or immediately visit a first aid.
