2023-10-25 20:51:00
The Ministry of Health of Vanuatu has recorded a worrying increase in cases of ciguatera poisoning in the country.
From January 1, 2023 to October 15, 2023, a total of 46 cases of ciguatera poisoning have been documented. Most cases were concentrated in epidemiological weeks 4, 5, 8, 11 and 22. In addition, in weeks 40 and 41, 5 cases were reported in the province of Shefa.
Reminder on the ciguatera :
The ciguatera is due to the ingestion of reef fish that are usually edible, but have accumulated ciguatoxins produced by phytoplankton during the food chain. Fish that can cause poisoning include coral trout, barracuda, red snapper, donu, parrot fish, grouper, Spanish mackerel, red emperor, rabbitfish, reef cod, sea fish. sturgeon, trevally, kingfish and eel. Symptoms usually occur within a few minutes to an hour following eating the contaminated fish.
Possible symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain followed by neurological symptoms including headache, temperature inversion (hot things are cold and cold things are hot), dizziness, tingling, muscle weakness and irregular heartbeat. The onset of symptoms usually occurs within six hours of consuming the contaminated product and lasts for a few days or weeks. Ciguatera toxin does not affect the appearance, smell or taste of fish. Freezing or cooking fish once it has been contaminated will not kill the toxin.
The diagnosis is presumptive, in endemic areas, it is the occurrence of symptoms compatible with poisoning following a fish meal known to be potentially toxic:
general signs: myalgia, arthralgia, pruritus, skin rashes, excessive sweating; digestive signs: diffuse abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, hiccups; neurological signs: cerebellar ataxia, headache, sleep disorders, depressive syndrome, visual hallucinations, paresthesias, nerve damage cranial, coma; cardiovascular signs: drop in heart rate (bradycardia), arterial hypotension, rhythm disturbances.
Most patients recover without treatment usually within 2 to 3 hours. Sometimes the evolution is more prolonged, up to 8 to 16 hours.
This poisoning is classically considered to be benign but there have been several cases where serious clinical signs have appeared such as cardiovascular collapse and myocardial damage.
Source : Reliefweb.
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