Symptoms usually appear within a week of eating contaminated food that has usually been incorrectly canned or improperly cooked. Because the diagnosis is difficult to establish, treatment with anti-toxin is often delayed. About two-thirds of cases are fatal. Doctors certainly know about botulism but the disease is unusual, especially in sporadic forms, and does not come readily to mind when sick infants become affected. Pediatricians recommend against feeding honey in any form to youngsters under the age of 1 because of the chance that it may contain botulism.
Infants seem to be particularly sensitive to the toxin in honey.
There is a major distinction between infant botulism and the adult variety. Anytime a baby experiences difficulty breathing, the child is put on a respirator. This is one reason why infant botulism is not as likely to be fatal as the affliction in adults, who are unlikely to be given ventilatory support. Fortunately, the infant form progresses slowly enough so that respiratory assistance can be administered in time to prevent serious consequences. Several years ago, I suffered a laceration of my penis that required stitches.