Irish rugby fan in intensive care after botulism outbreak linked to Bordeaux wine bar

An Irish fan who traveled to the city for the opening World Cup match against Romania has reportedly been admitted to intensive care in Spain in connection with the outbreak.

The outbreak of the disease in the French city has been linked to a wine bar and fans have been warned to seek medical attention if they ate at Tchin Tchin wine bar last week.

In an update to Irish people in Bordeaux this morning, the Irish Embassy in Paris said: “The Embassy is aware of an outbreak of botulism linked to a wine bar in Bordeaux.

“We advise Irish citizens who dined at Tchin Tchin Wine Bar between September 4th and 10th to seek medical attention immediately if they experience any symptoms.”

Several Irish people reportedly fell ill after visiting the popular bar, which was packed with Irish fans over the weekend, the Irish Times reported.

A total of nine people are believed to have been hospitalized in France due to the outbreak, but it is not clear how many, if any, of those are Irish.

“The people concerned all visited the same restaurant bar in Bordeaux, the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar, last week. The suspected foodstuffs are currently canned sardines in oil made by the restaurateur between September 4th and 10th 2023 were served at this restaurant in Bordeaux,” Public Health France said in a statement.

Botulism is a serious disease that is fatal in five to ten percent of cases and whose incubation period can range from a few hours to a few days.

Symptoms include, to varying degrees: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, eye damage, dry mouth accompanied by difficulty swallowing or even speech, or neurological symptoms such as muscle paralysis. There is usually no fever.