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Abstract

The Osh region of Kyrgyzstan faces a significant public health threat from botulism because of eating habits and high elevation and insufficient medical care. The research has three main objectives, which includes to describe the epidemiology of the disease, to evaluate the effect of altitude on the incidence and severity of the disease, and to analyze the clinical and laboratory findings to develop appropriate regional management strategies. Osh region reported an average of 26.4/100,000 botulism  cases annually, with 86.9% of these cases occurring in clustered outbreaks that mostly affected  low-altitude areas at a rate of 35.3/100,000. The data showed women were  1.7 times more likely to develop the condition, while 79.7% of cases affected  adults between 21 and 50 years old. The most prevalent atypical C. botulinum toxins were found in 52.6% of cases followed by type B in 35.9% and type A in 11.5%. Incubation period showed strong relationship with food type and altitude and age (r=0.9). The combination of advanced age and elevated altitude led to severe disease and delayed hospital admission in 89.4% of patients. The patients who had type A toxin experienced the most severe paralysis among their gastrointestinal symptoms. The elevation level directly affected symptom intensity and all patients needed oxygen therapy because their respiratory function deteriorated into hypoxia. Occurrence of botulism in Kyrgyzstan is influenced by altitude, demographics, and toxin types, with severe cases being more common in women, older adults, and high-altitude areas. It requires targeted prevention, altitude-aware surveillance, and standardized oxygen therapy‎.

Keywords: Botulism, Diagnosis, Treatment, Poisoning, Intoxication, Low mountains

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