Nine died and 78 others hospitalized following the consumption of sea turtle meat on Pemba Island in the Zanzibar archipelago, as announced by authorities. Despite being considered a delicacy by the locals, sea turtle meat periodically leads to fatalities due to chelonitoxism, a form of food poisoning.
The recent victim, an adult, passed away late Friday, who happened to be the mother of one of the deceased children from earlier, stated Dr. Haji Bakari, the medical officer of the Mkoani District. According to Bakari, the consumption of turtle meat occurred on Tuesday.
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Laboratory tests have confirmed that all victims had ingested sea turtle meat. Responding to the situation, authorities in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania, dispatched a disaster management team under the leadership of Hamza Hassan Juma, who issued a plea for people to refrain from consuming sea turtles.
This incident echoes a similar tragedy in November 2021, where seven individuals, including a 3-year-old child, lost their lives on Pemba Island after consuming turtle meat, with three others requiring hospitalization.
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