CDC expected to alert doctors about fake Botox

The CDC plans to alert doctors nationwide about fake Botox injections that have already hospitalized at least four people, the agency said Wednesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is poised to alert doctors nationwide about fake Botox injections that have already hospitalized at least four people.

The CDC said Wednesday that it's coordinating a “multistate outbreak investigation into a few botulism-like illnesses in several states" caused by botulinum toxin injections, commonly called Botox, that weren't given in a medical office.

Health departments in Illinois and Tennessee have reported cases possibly linked to counterfeit Botox, with two people in each state hospitalized. Two other cases were reported in Tennessee but weren’t serious enough to warrant hospitalization.

Additionally, on Thursday NBC News confirmed four cases in Kentucky and a suspected case in Washington state. In Kentucky, two individuals were hospitalized, although all four are now recovering, according to the Department of Public Health.

In Colorado, Denver health officials are investigating a case of botulism-like illness. An unlicensed provider in Adams county injected a patient with what was purportedly botulinum toxin, the county's public health department said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/botulism-botox-fake-us-states-cdc-rcna147275

---