Health officials have issued a warning after Claudia de Albuquerque Celada, a 23-year-old woman from Brazil, was left paralyzed after eating pre-packaged soup.

The young woman was reportedly working in Aspen, Colorado, through an exchange program when she was hospitalized in February with dizziness, double vision, and shortness of breath.

Her entire body became paralyzed within just 24 hours of her symptoms emerging.

Two weeks after her admission to the hospital, Claudia was diagnosed with botulism.

Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves and causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Claudia de Albuquerque Celada was left paralyzed after eating pre-packaged soup she bought at the supermarket

Image credits: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels

Improperly home-canned, preserved, or fermented foods can provide the right conditions for spores to grow and make botulinum toxin, the organization adds.

People with wound botulism sometimes need surgery to remove the source of the bacteria and may need to take antibiotics. 

Today, less than 5 of every 100 affected individuals die.

Health officials believe that the illness stemmed from a soup that Claudia purchased from a major retailer in the US, as per the DailyMail.

Since the tested samples from the supermarket soup came back negative for botulism, it’s thought that the illness may have been triggered by the way the soup was stored and cooked.

Two weeks after her admission to the hospital, the Brazilian native was diagnosed with botulism

Image credits: cacau_albuquerque

The Pitkin County Health Department has since issued a warning, urging people to “reassess their food handling practices.”

“Because an outbreak was ruled out, we really focus on the prevention aspect,” a spokesperson told the DailyMail.

“Because there wasn’t a common source of exposure that impacted a larger swatch of the population, or if there were multiple cases associated, we really look at food handling as likely being the cause of the infection.”

Claudia experienced dizziness, double vision, and shortness of breath before her entire body became paralyzed

Image credits: vakinha

The department stressed that items bought from the supermarket marked as refrigerated must be stored at 4 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit) or less to prevent bacterial spores from forming.

Moreover, they emphasized that microwavable food should be heated all the way through, as heat can kill the bacterial spores. 

Lastly, they recommended not leaving refrigerated food out for long periods of time.

Officials’ “best guess” is that the mishandling of the soup in one of these three areas likely resulted in Claudia contracting botulism.

Health officials believe that the illness likely resulted from the way the soup was stored and cooked

Image credits: cacau_albuquerque

The 23-year-old is currently at Denver’s Swedish Medical Center. 

Her sister-in-law, Luísa, set up a fundraiser titled “Help with Cacau’s million-dollar hospital debt” to pay for the expensive treatment.

In the last update shared on the Vakinha website, Luísa wrote that Claudia’s condition was “more stable” and that her family was planning to take her to Brazil to continue her treatment. It’s not clear if she remains on a ventilator.

“However, they informed us that our bill is around 3 million dollars so far, so we need a lot of help with that!!!” she said. So far, they have raised $225,394.91 Brazilian reals— the equivalent of over $44,000 dollars—out of their $195,000 dollar goal.

Luísa also wrote on Instagram, “I know it’s a very absurd amount, but any amount donated to us brings us a little closer to ending this nightmare we’re living.”

People sent Claudia their best wishes for recovery

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