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Disease groups:
At a glance
- No vaccine available – read more about prevention
- Nationally notifiable disease
About botulism
Botulism is a rare but serious illness.
It is caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The toxin affects the nervous system and can lead to paralysis and death if not treated quickly.
There are different types of botulism based on how it spreads to people.
Why it matters to public health
Botulism is very rare in Australia. Most cases reported are in children aged under 12 months. But cases have also been linked to:
- contaminated foods
- injecting drug use
- unregulated cosmetic injections.
The illness is very serious and needs urgent treatment.
Many countries, including Australia, classify the bacteria and toxin that cause botulism as potential biological weapons. The Australian Government regulates handling of the bacteria and toxin.
Because of these major impacts, we:
- monitor and report on botulism cases in Australia
- plan for how to manage outbreaks.
Symptoms
If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.
Symptoms of botulism can include:
- weakness on both sides of the body – usually starting with the head and moving to the legs and feet
- dizziness
- double vision
- dry mouth
- difficulty speaking and swallowing.
Symptoms in babies can include:
- constipation
- weak cry
- poor feeding
- loss of head control (floppiness).
As botulism progresses, it can cause paralysis of breathing muscles and the body.
Read more about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of botulism.
healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a doctor.
Onset of symptoms
Symptoms of foodborne botulism can appear 6 hours to 8 days after infection.
Other types of botulism can take up to 14 days or longer for symptoms to develop.
The shorter the time between being exposed and developing symptoms, the more severe the illness.
How it spreads
The bacteria are found in soil and environments worldwide.
They can grow and produce toxin in:
- food that has not been preserved or canned properly – including food canned at home
- fermented, salted or smoked fish or meat
- the immature gut of babies aged under 12 months.
People can get sick after:
- eating food contaminated with the toxin – called foodborne botulism
- ingesting food, dust or soil containing spores from the bacteria, which then grow and produce toxins in the gut – called intestinal botulism
- the bacteria infect a wound – called wound botulism
- receiving unregulated cosmetic injections.
Intestinal botulism in an infant aged under 12 months is called infant botulism. It is usually caused by babies ingesting contaminated soil or honey.
Infectious period
Botulism does not spread between people.
Prevention
The best ways to protect against botulism are to:
- never give honey to babies aged under 12 months
- use safe food handling and storing practices
- follow advice for safe home canning – including only using properly sterilised jars and bottles
- only get cosmetic injections containing botulinum toxin from registered healthcare practitioners using approved products
- clean wounds properly and seek medical care for deep or contaminated injuries
- not inject illicit drugs.
Read more about:
Priority groups and settings
Some people are at greater risk of getting botulism or getting very sick from it.
People at greater risk should take steps to protect themselves.
People at greater risk of severe disease
Botulism poses a greater risk of severe illness for:
- babies aged under 12 months
- people who are immunocompromised
- people with some gastrointestinal conditions.
People at greater risk of exposure
People might be more likely to be exposed if they:
- are aged under 12 months and eat honey
- receive cosmetic injections using unapproved products or from unqualified people
- live in communities with limited access to safe food storage or wound care
- improperly prepare or preserve home-canned foods
- ferment, salt or smoke fish or meat products
- inject illicit drugs (including black tar heroin).
Diagnosis and treatment
Botulism can be diagnosed by testing a sample of:
You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.
People with botulism need urgent treatment and will usually be cared for in hospital. They might be treated with specific medicines to target the toxin as well as supportive care.
Infected wounds might need surgery.
Read more about how to manage or treat botulism.
Surveillance and reporting
Botulism is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.
Health authorities in each state and territory report new laboratory confirmed cases to us through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.
The OzFoodNet network also monitors and responds to foodborne diseases in Australia.
This is part of our surveillance activities, which help us monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease patterns.
We analyse the data and report on case numbers and other data through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information.
Outbreaks
Botulism outbreaks are rare in Australia.
Public health authorities focus on finding the source of the outbreak.
Other actions during outbreaks can include:
- monitoring or testing people who might have been exposed
- educating people about botulism and how to prevent it.
If the source was commercially prepared food, public health authorities might:
- recall affected products immediately
- send food samples to the laboratory for testing.
Read more about how the Australian Government defines and plans for outbreaks.
Support
For information about botulism in each state or territory, see:
- Australian Capital Territory
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia.
If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.