Botulism outbreak: Mayo man whose wife died is showing signs of improvement
The man from near Castlebar and his Greek-born wife had been enjoying a trip to Bordeaux when both were stricken amid the botulism outbreak. File Picture: Wikimedia Commons
The Mayo man who was in intensive care after dining at the Bordeaux restaurant linked to a botulism outbreak is showing signs of improvement.
The man, who is from the outskirts of Castlebar, remains in hospital in Paris, and members of his family have travelled to France to be with him. The man’s Greek wife died in hospital after he rushed her for treatment when she became ill at home.
The couple had travelled to Bordeaux from their Paris home to attend the Ireland versus Romania game in the Rugby World Cup
 They dined in the Tchin Tchin wine bar which has been linked to the botulism outbreak.
The couple, who married in recent months, were among 15 people who have been identified by public health officials in France as having been affected by the botulism outbreak.Â
French authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the matter.
A post-mortem examination was carried out on the woman’s remains on Friday.
Officials are making a desperate bid to establish if there are others who were affected after eating sardines at the premises between September 4 and 10.
As well as two Irish men, those affected come from the US, Canada, Britain, Spain, Germany and Greece.
All visited the same wine bar. According to the health authorities, the food involved was jarred sardines, which were served between September 4 and 10 at the wine bar.
French media reported that the Bordeaux prosecutor's office aims to determine the responsibility of the restaurateur in the poisonings. The focus of the investigation includes manslaughter. Le Figaro reported on Friday that the maximum penalties for manslaughter are five years in prison and a fine of €75,000.
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman declined to reveal how many Irish people have been identified as having been affected, but said: “French health authorities have issued an alert recommending that people who have frequented the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar in Bordeaux between 4 and 10 September consult a doctor urgently.”
An American tourist, Matt Jackson from California, who was undertaking an electric bike tour through Bordeaux’s wine country is now in an intensive care unit after becoming ill after he ate sardines at the restaurant. He was among the first to be hospitalised as a result of the outbreak.
His partner Kristy Benner told the Associated Press that she thought at first that Matt was either dehydrated or having a stroke when he complained of feeling unwell on the morning after they visited Tchin Tchin.
She said it was hard to understand him speaking, adding: “And his mouth was so unbelievably dry, to the point where he couldn’t swallow water.” She also started to feel unwell two days after he was admitted to hospital. She still feels unwell but is not seriously ill. However, her partner remained on a ventilator in hospital on Thursday.
The restaurant remains closed as a number of investigations are carried out into the outbreak. The investigations include a criminal one which was opened on Friday by the local prosecutor’s office.
According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), botulism symptoms include blurred vision and difficulty in swallowing and speaking, but sometimes diarrhoea and vomiting can occur. The disease can lead to problems with vision, and paralysis.
The agency said it was alerted to the outbreak on Tuesday by French authorities “via mechanisms for exchange of information on health threats, with further detail on the implicated restaurant becoming available on 13 September”.
Botulism is caused by a toxin produced by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, according to the Food Safety Authority. It can occur when someone eats food in which this bacterium had been able to grow.
It is not contagious and is spread by eating food with the toxin present or a food item containing bacterial spores.
According to the FSAI, symptoms generally begin 12 to 36 hours after consuming the toxin in food. However, in rare cases symptoms can occur as early as six hours or as late as two weeks after exposure. Most people recover from botulism but this can take months.
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