Eight children diedi after eating sea turtle meat. It happened on the island of Pemba of the archipelago of Zanzibar. According to local media, 86 people ended up in hospital and, after the children, the mother of one of them also died. The news is going around the world. According to tests carried out by Haji Bakari Haji, a doctor in the Mkoani district quoted by the Xinhua agency, the children ate sea turtle meat last Tuesday. Authorities were only informed of the case on Friday. In Zanzibar, sea turtle meat is considered a delicacy, but cases of intoxication often occur. According to local media reports, the 86 people who ended up in hospital had similar symptoms such as abdominal pain and vomiting. In fact, by eating turtle meat it is possible to contract chelonitoxicity: as we read on the biomedicalcue.it website, “Symptoms can appear within a few hours to a week after ingesting inadequately treated turtle meat. Children are particularly vulnerable to this intoxication, and it has been discovered that the toxins can also be transmitted through breastfeeding, without the mother showing obvious symptoms of illness. Symptoms of chelonitoxicity, which range from nausea and vomiting to severe neurological complications, can be difficult to diagnose early. These may include abdominal pain, diarrhea, itching, pain in the mouth and throat, confusion, seizures and paralysis“.
Next article