Eight children and a woman have died after eating sea turtle meat in the Zanzibar archipelago.
The authorities said that 78 people were hospitalised after eating the meal on Pemba Island. It is considered a delicacy in Zanzibar.
Eating contaminated sea turtles can cause chelonitoxism, a rare type of food poisoning that can be lethal. There is no known antidote and only supportive treatment can be offered to patients.
Haji Bakari, Mkoani District medical officer, said that laboratory tests show all those affected had eaten the turtle meat on Tuesday.
He added the adult who died on Friday was the mother of one of the children who died earlier in the week.
The authorities in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania, sent a disaster management team led by Hamza Hassan Juma to the island. He urged people to avoid consuming the animals.
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In November 2021, a three-year-old child and six others died on Pemba after eating turtle meat. Three others were hospitalised.
Symptoms of chelonitoxism vary but include nausea, vomiting and ulceration in the throat and mouth.
In severe cases, patients can be affected by muscular weakness, partial paralysis and agitation, with some falling into a coma.
This is absolutely unacceptable. How could anyone be so cruel as to poison these children? I demand that the government take immediate action to prevent this from happening again.
This is a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. I hope that the authorities will investigate this incident thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice.
This is a tragedy. I hope that the authorities will investigate this incident thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice.
I am shocked and saddened by this news. I cannot imagine the pain that the families of the victims must be going through. I hope that they can find some comfort in knowing that their loved ones are now in a better place.
This is a horrific crime. I cannot believe that someone would do this to innocent children. I hope that the police will catch the person responsible and bring him to justice.
This is a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. I hope that the authorities will investigate this incident thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice.
I am deeply saddened by this news. I offer my condolences to the families of the victims and I urge the authorities to do everything in their power to bring those responsible to justice.
I am deeply saddened by this news. I offer my condolences to the families of the victims and I urge the authorities to do everything in their power to bring those responsible to justice.
I am shocked and saddened by this news. I cannot imagine the pain that the families of the victims must be going through. I hope that they can find some comfort in knowing that their loved ones are now in a better place.
I am deeply saddened by this news. I offer my condolences to the families of the victims and I urge the authorities to do everything in their power to bring those responsible to justice.
I am deeply saddened by this news. I offer my condolences to the families of the victims and I urge the authorities to do everything in their power to bring those responsible to justice.
This is a horrific crime. I cannot believe that someone would do this to innocent children. I hope that the police will catch the person responsible and bring him to justice.
This is a tragedy. I hope that the authorities will investigate this incident thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice.
This is a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. I hope that the authorities will investigate this incident thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice.