Health Officials Issue Warning About Leftovers After Deadly Bacteria Leaves Woman Paralyzed And On A Ventilator

Health officials have issued a serious warning after a young woman was left paralyzed following a meal of soup.

Claudia de Albuquerque Celada, a 23-year-old Brazilian native, is currently on a ventilator, fighting for her life in a hospital.

At the time she became ill, Claudia was in Aspen, Colorado, participating in an exchange program.

In February, the young woman was hospitalized after experiencing symptoms like paralysis, dizziness, double vision, and shortness of breath.

Since then, she has been in the Swedish Medical Center in Denver, dependent on a ventilator.

Two weeks after being admitted to the hospital, doctors diagnosed Claudia with botulism.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes botulism as "a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body's nerves and causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and even death."

Health officials suspect the illness may have been triggered by soup Claudia had purchased.

She bought a pre-packaged soup from a well-known US retailer.

Although tests on soup samples from the same grocery store were negative for botulism, it is thought that the way Claudia stored the soup or her failure to reheat it properly could have contributed to her condition.

Following this incident, the Pitkin County Health Department has advised the public to make sure they are reheating their meals adequately and to reconsider their food handling practices.

A representative from Pitkin County Health elaborated on Claudia's case to the Daily Mail, saying:

"Because an outbreak was ruled out, we really focus on the prevention aspect. 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."

The health officials are fairly certain that the soup product itself was not the issue, but they admit that it's "nearly impossible to definitively say at what stage there might have been that breakdown."

As Claudia continues her recovery in the US, her sister, Luísa Albuquerque, has shared that there are plans to fly her back to Brazil to be closer to her family. 

"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," Luísa explained on social media.

The cost of keeping Claudia in the Denver hospital is reportedly $10,000 a day.

In light of the mounting medical expenses, the family has started a fundraising campaign on Vakinha.

They have raised 225,149.91 Brazilian Real (approximately US $43) so far.