Warning: European Center for Disease Prevention Urges Caution with Turkish-Brand Botox

The European Health Supervisory Authority has warned European Union citizens against traveling to Turkey to receive Turkish Botox injections after monitoring cases of poisoning in Istanbul and Izmir.

And the British newspaper The Times reported that in the past three weeks there have been 67 cases of poisoning associated with “gastric Botox injections”, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, with several cases having to be hospitalized.

Moreover, the largest number of reported cases was in Germany – 12 people, one each in Austria and one in Switzerland, the rest – among Turkish patients in two unnamed clinics, the publication reports.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said in a warning that “all cases were in people who had undergone medical interventions to help them lose weight.”

The center added that it “strongly advises EU citizens to avoid Botox injections prepared in Turkey as it is currently associated with a high risk of food poisoning.”

The newspaper indicated that an investigation 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 poisoning was due to the injection method or the use of unlicensed weight loss products.

Symptoms of food poisoning include weakness, fatigue, and difficulty breathing, and if left untreated, it can lead to paralysis, and full recovery from symptoms takes weeks, sometimes months.

Turkey is a popular destination for plastic surgery and slimming injections, “gastric botox”, due to its low cost compared to Europe, the US and other countries.

The injection, which is given endoscopically by mouth, contains botulinum toxin, which helps relax the abdominal muscles and can reduce appetite and promote weight loss.

It is worth noting that over 1.2 million people visited Turkey for treatment last year.

Source: British newspaper The Times.