A European health watchdog has warned citizens of European Union countries against traveling to Turkey to get stomach Botox injections, after monitoring dozens of cases of food poisoning linked to private clinics in Istanbul and Izmir.
And the British newspaper “The Times” said that the past three weeks witnessed the reporting of 67 cases of poisoning related to “stomach botox injections”, whose symptoms ranged from mild to severe, with several cases that had to be hospitalized.
The largest number of recorded cases was in Germany for 12 people, one in Austria and one in Switzerland, and the rest were among Turkish patients in the two clinics that were not named, according to the newspaper.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said in an alert that all of the cases were people who “underwent medical interventions designed to help them lose weight”.
He added that the center “strongly encourages EU citizens to avoid receiving Botox injections prepared in Turkey as this is currently associated with a high risk of food poisoning.”
The newspaper indicated that an investigation conducted by European health officials found that a number of cases had been admitted to intensive care.
The European Center said it was not clear whether the poisonings were due to the method of giving the injections or to the use of unlicensed products to treat weight loss.
Symptoms of food poisoning include weakness, fatigue and difficulty breathing, and if not treated, it can lead to paralysis. Complete recovery from symptoms takes weeks and sometimes months.
Turkey is a popular destination for plastic surgery and weight loss injections, “stomach botox”, due to its low cost compared to European countries, the United States and other countries.
The injection, which is given endoscopically and inserted through the mouth, contains botulinum, which helps relax stomach muscles and can reduce appetite and aid weight loss.