Shellfish poisoning sends entire family to hospital, kills 2 boys in Samar town

TACLOBAN CITY—Two boys died of shellfish poisoning, associated with red tide, in the town of Daram, Samar province on Tuesday (Sept. 15).

The fatalities, aged 3 and 8, ate green mussels, or tahong, with other members of their family, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

All of them suffered from abdominal pains, vomiting, numbness, and difficulty of breathing.

They were brought by neighbors to the Catbalogan Doctors Hospital in Catbalogan City, also in Samar, around 11:30 p.m.

The two boys, however, did not survive.

The BFAR cautioned residents of Daram against gathering, selling and consuming tahong and other shellfish from the town’s waters while experts are investigating the poisoning case.

Daram Island is one of the areas included in the weekly red tide monitoring of BFAR.

BFAR has earlier issued an advisory for red tide, which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning, in several bodies of water in Eastern Visayas:

• Cancabato Bay which covers Tacloban City
• Matarinao Bay which covers General MacArthur, Hernani, Quinapondan and Salcedo in Eastern Samar
• Carigara Bay which includes the towns of Babatngon, San Miguel, Barugo, Carigara and Capoocan, all in Leyte
• The coastal waters of Guiuan, Eastern Samar
• Irong-irong Bay which covers Catbalogan City
• San Pedro Bay, particularly the town of Basey, Samar

TSB