A botulism outbreak at an Ohio church potluck has resulted in 28 people being sickened and the death of a woman.

Health officials believe canned food could have resulted in the outbreak, according to an ABC News report.

The 54-year-old woman was attending a church potluck attended by about 60 people in Lancaster, Ohio, when 24 people came down with the rare disease, which can be paralytic and potentially fatal.

Botulism is a nerve toxin that is spread by a certain bacteria. All forms are considered medical emergencies, and foodborne botulism is a public health emergency as many people can become poisoned by tainted food.

It can take between 6 hours and 10 days for symptoms to show up in a patient, which can begin with double vision, slurred speech, and muscle weakness.

While botulism has been virtually eliminate in the United States, cases do crop up occasionally. A total of 145 are reported each year in the country, but only 15 percent are foodborne. The rest are typically related to wounds, as the bacteria that causes botulism lives in the dirt that can get in the wound. Infant botulism, in which babies consume a small amount of the spores, can also happen.

The baceteria that causes it is called Clostridium botulinum, which releases a toxin as part of its anaerobic process. It can thrive in an environment free of oxygen, which is how it can survive in a sealed can.

Now that we understand botulism these days, food safety procedures have been put in place the prevent it from happening to the point that it is now an extremely rare occurrence.

How do you spot a sealed can that could have botulism in it? It’s unlikely you’ll ever find one. But if you do see a can that is dented or bloated, you should probably throw it away. It’s not worth the risk, experts say, as those signs typically indicate some spoilage has occurred.