BATON ROUGE - Two Louisiana residents reported separate cases of severe illness following counterfeit Botox injections, leading the Louisiana Department of Health to issue a warning about taking proper precautions.

The LDH said one patient received injections of an unlicensed botulinum toxin product purchased online, and one patient received injections from an individual with unknown licensure in a non-medical setting. The two began experiencing botulism-like symptoms a few days following the injections.

Both experienced severe illness requiring hospitalization.

The LDH reminded people to make sure their product is sourced from an FDA-approved, licensed supplier and provider. Additionally, people are told to only get injections in a licensed or accredited healthcare setting and to not self-inject botulinum toxin products such as Botox.

The LDH's full release is available here.