FISHERS BE AWARE OF PUFFER FISH. Whole family paralysed after eating deadly pufferfish Eleven members of the same family are in hospital after unwittingly cooking and eating a poisonous pufferfish for dinner. The Souza family, from Rio de Janerio, were given the fish by a family friend who had recently returned from a sea fishing expedition off Dubque de Caxias, on the Brazilian coast. Unbeknownst to anyone, the present was a deadly pufferfish — which contains a toxin 1,200 times more lethal than cyanide, a drop of which can kill in 24 hours. Only seconds after taking their first bite members of the family began to vomit, before losing feeling in their face, arms and legs. Most of the victims, including children aged three to five, were paralysed before they could even reach a car to transport them to hospital. Cristiane Souza described to Brazils RJ TV how her husband Jose Augusto, 41, lost all feeling shortly after taking the first bite. My husband was the first to say he couldnt feel his tongue, then his face, and then his arms. Then his legs went dead and he couldnt stand up any more. It was terrifying. My brother-in-law was the same. He didnt even make it out the door. We had to carry them out and rush them to hospital in a car, she said, explaining they had invited the entire family round because the fish looked so tasty. Grandmother Maria do Carmo said: We had no idea it was a pufferfish. Theyre all in a critical condition. My grandson, my daughter, and my son-in-law, they are all in hospital. Were praying for a miracle. We put the fish on the table in the yard outside and everyone dived in. They were all saying how delicious it was. I didnt eat it because I was waiting until everyone had tried it. Pufferfish, or fugu, is a delicacy in Japan. It is strictly controlled and only chefs who have qualified after three years training can prepare a meal featuring the fish. Statistics from the Tokyo Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health indicate 20 to 44 incidents of fugu poisoning every year between 1996 and 2006 in Japan — however a single incident can hide multiple casualties. There is no known cure for the poison, which paralyses the body while leaving the victim, who gradually suffocates, awake. Victims are hospitalized and their stomachs emptied before being fed activated charcoal to bind the toxin. They are also put on life support until the poison wears off. timesofindia.indiatimes/world/rest-of-world/Whole-family-paralysed-after-eating-deadly-pufferfish/articleshow/44927897.cms?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=TOI
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 06:23:52 +0000
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