PUERTO PRINCESA CITY –– Local officials told residents of this city to refrain from “gathering, selling, and eating” all types of shellfish from the Puerto Princesa Bay.
Lawyer Arnel Pedrosa, city administrator, in an advisory issued Thursday, announced the local red tide warning for possible shellfish poisoning.
“Fish, squid, crabs can be eaten provided internal organs are removed and thoroughly washed before cooking,” Pedrosa stated.
The advisory was based on a laboratory examination conducted by the Palawan Red Tide Testing Center when the water samples gathered from Honda Bay turned out to be positive of Pyrodinium Bahamanse var. compressum, a toxic microorganism that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Consuming shellfish with red tide toxins may affect an individual’s nervous system within 30 minutes. Initial reactions may include tingling, first in the lips and tongue, spreading to the face, neck, fingertips, and toes.
Other symptoms include headache, dizziness, and nausea. In severe cases, people may experience muscular paralysis and respiratory difficulty within five to 12 hours.
Fatalities from respiratory paralysis have been reported.