Tragic sea turtle meat poisoning in Zanzibar claims nine lives

Nine people died as a result of consuming sea turtle meat on the island of Pemba in the Zanzibar archipelago - reports Associated Press. Among the victims of poisoning were eight children and one woman. Local authorities informed on Saturday that 78 other people were hospitalized. In this region of the world, sea turtle meat is considered a delicacy.

Consumption of turtle meat can cause chelonitoxism - reports Sky News. It is a rare type of food poisoning for which there is no cure, and patients can only be offered supportive treatment. "The New York Post" adds, citing the National Institute of Health, that the disease causes gastrointestinal symptoms, followed by "neurological, liver, and kidney toxicity".

Laboratory tests showed that all individuals affected by the disease ate the turtle meat on Tuesday - stated the medical officer of Mkoani district, Haji Bakari. He added that the adult woman who died on Friday was the mother of one of the children who did not survive the poisoning.

As a consequence of the poisonings, the authorities of Zanzibar, which is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania, sent a crisis management team to the archipelago. Sky News reports that the unit is led by Hamza Hassan Juma. Officials have called on residents and tourists to avoid eating turtle meat.

Source: AP, Sky News, New York Post