The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said it confirmed the first case of infant botulism, investigating the routes of the infection.

Infant botulism is a disease in the neuromuscular system that occurs in infants aged one year or under. The illness occurs when an infant ingests spores of Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which proliferate in the intestines and produce toxins into the body.

KDCD said the U.S. has about 100 cases of infant botulism a year. The Clostridium botulinum bacteria is not contagious and human-to-human transmission does not occur.

The center said its investigation was on a four months old infant in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, who was diagnosed with infant botulism after showing symptoms of poor feeding and drooping eyelids in early June. The baby was hospitalized on June 4 and physicians requested a test by KCDC to confirm the diagnosis. The test results found Clostridium botulinum bacteria in the patient’s excrement on Monday.

The child is receiving stable treatment in a general ward and the KCDC provided botulinum antitoxin to the hospital to treat the patient.

KCDC said the center and North Jeolla Province dispatched epidemiologists to identify the infection routes and plan to secure additional samples from foods and residential environments for a precise analysis.