Woman left paralysed from soup leftovers

A warning has been issued after a 23-year-old woman was left paralysed from eating soup leftovers.

Plenty of people eat leftovers on a daily basis and thankfully reports of people having severe reactions beyond food poisoning, including even losing limbs from eating them, are very rare.

However, bacterial reactions to improperly heated or stored leftovers can lead to life-changing injuries.

Health issues have issued a warning about it as a Brazilian woman has been left paralysed after a rare bacterial infection believed to have been picked up from eating soup leftovers.

Claudia de Albuquerque Celada was working in Colorado on an exchange programme when she was hospitalised with paralysis, dizziness, double vision and shortness of breath in February.

Two weeks after her admission, she was diagnosed with botulism – a rare and serious condition in which a toxin attacks the body’s nerves. She has been hospitalised on a breathing aid ever since.

According to the Daily Mail, local health officials traced the infection back to a pre-packaged soup that Celada bought in Aspen. The soup from the supermarket was tested and came back negative, so it is thought the illness was caused by either the way it was stored or cooked.

Officials are reminding people that food should be stored at 4 degrees celsius or less and heated thoroughly before consuming. It should also not be left out at room temperature for more than an hour.

Celada’s sister Luísa Albuquerque explained that the Denver hospital in which her sister is being treated is paying for her flight back to Brazil, where she will continue treatment close to her family. At present, each day in hospital in the US is costing $10,000 ($8,000).

Albuquerque said: “We think that recovery close to family and friends is much faster. Comparing the costs between staying here and returning to Brazil, the return is still cheaper.”

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