The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that 19 people from nine states have had bad reactions to cosmetic injections (like Botox) that were given by people who were not registered or trained to do so or in places that were not medical. Some people got injections of fake or badly managed medicine.
There were worries that the botulinum toxin could have spread beyond the injection site, so nine people were taken to the hospital and four were treated with botulism antitoxin.
People in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Washington all had reactions to the goods.
The CDC says that all 19 of the people they have found are women and range in age from 25 to 59. Except for one, everyone said they got the injection for appearance reasons.
The reports are being looked into by the agency, as well as several state and local health offices and the US Food and Drug Administration.
The CDC says to check with providers and places like spas and clinics to make sure they are registered and trained to give the injections. It also says to check if the product is FDA-approved and comes from a trustworthy source. The government says not to get the shot if you are not sure.
Botulism is a rare but very dangerous disease that is caused by germs that release toxins that hurt the nervous system. Some signs are double or blurry vision, droopy eyelids, trouble breathing, tiredness, and confused or hoarse speech. If you don’t treat muscle weakness, it can get worse over hours or days and end in death.
The Clostridium botulinum bacteria is used to make Botox and other similar cosmetics, the Illinois Department of Public Health says. Last week, the FDA said in a news statement that licensed health care providers can use the purified form of botulinum toxin as a cosmetic treatment.
