Another puffer fish tragedy: 2 dead, 10 sick

BACOLOD CITY—Two  fishermen died, while 10 others fell sick and were rushed to a hospital in Negros Occidental city after eating puffer fish, authorities said on Monday.

The fatalities and their companions ate the puffer fish on Saturday while they were at sea aboard a fishing boat.

The fatalities were identified as Jose Artajo, 62, owner of the vessel from Cadiz City, and Nixon Legaspi, 35, of Escalante City.

The Escalante City Health Office said the fishermen caught the puffer fish on June 1, and kept it in their vessel’s cold storage area. They cooked the fish on June 4, according to Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, Negros Occidental provincial health officer.

Artajo suffered chest pains immediately after eating the puffer fish and had wanted to eat garlic thinking it was just the effects of his blood pressure shooting up, according to Tumimbang.

Artajo was rushed to the Vicente Gustilo District Hospital in Escalante at about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, and was declared dead on arrival, he said.

On the other hand, Legaspi was declared dead on arrival at the same hospital at 4:50 p.m. on Saturday.

Dr. Maritel Ledesma, chief of Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital, said five of the 10 fishermen in the same vessel were treated on Saturday as outpatients while five others were hospitalized but released on Monday afternoon.

The 10 fishermen were Jerry Sayson, 25; Ronie Albaciete, 31; James Esmero, 18, and Joven Bawiin, 29, of Cadiz City; and Joel Narciso, 29; Jayson Narciso, 21; Joel Eslanan, 18; Arnulfo Viason, 47; Ryan Clarin, 27, and Noe Narciso, 24, of Escalante City, Tumimbang said.

The fishermen said they had eaten puffer fish many times before, but nothing happened to them.

One of the fishermen who survived the poisoning said he felt very light, To counter the poison, he and the other survivors ate sugar and drank coconut milk.

The poison found in puffer fish is tetrodotoxin. This is one of the deadliest poisons found in nature, according to the website eMedicine Health.

Symptoms of poisoning generally manifest themselves 10-45 minutes after eating puffer fish. It starts with numbness and tingling in the mouth, salivation, nausea and vomiting.

These may progress to paralysis, loss of consciousness, respiratory failure and death, eMedicine Health said.