Turtle meat can be toxic because of a type of food poisoning known as chelonitoxism
In a tragic incident, eight children and an adult died after eating sea turtle meat on Pemba Island in the Zanzibar archipelago, Metro reported. A further 78 people were hospitalised after consuming the meal on March 5, according to Mkoani District medical officer, Dr Haji Bakari.
Notably, sea turtle meat is considered a delicacy in the region despite well-known food poisoning dangers. The meat is said to taste like beef with a texture that can be roughly compared to squid or alligator.
Dr Bakari said laboratory tests conducted confirmed all casualties had eaten sea turtle meat. In rare cases, turtle meat can be toxic because of a type of food poisoning known as chelonitoxism. Though the exact cause is not known, it is thought to be linked to poisonous algae which the turtles eat, according to the Turtle Foundation charity.
''Chelonitoxism (sea turtle meat poisoning) is a rare and sometimes fatal type of food poisoning caused by eating marine turtles,'' according to the National Library of Medicine. It causes gastrointestinal symptoms, followed by ''neurologic, hepatic and renal toxicity.''
“Studies show that all parts of the sea turtle are potentially toxic. Symptoms can be as mild as nausea and vomiting to more severe forms of neurologic manifestations, coma and ultimately death,'' National Library of Medicine added.
After the horrific incident, authorities in the archipelago sent a disaster management team to Pemba, which urged people to avoid the consumption of sea turtles.
A similar incident happened in 2021 when seven people, including a three-year-old, died on the Pemba island after eating the turtle meat. According to a BBC report, the poisoning can have the worst impact on children and older people.
Similar cases have also been reported in Indonesia, Micronesia and India's Indian Ocean islands. So far, no antidote for the poisoning has been found.