Hospital officials announce
that they were able to revive one fisherman that had been in critical
condition after foolishly eating a pufferfish. 2 others died, whilst 6
survived.
Patcharapol Panrak
Two Burmese fishermen died and six others narrowly
escaped death after eating poisonous pufferfish aboard their boat near
Prachuab Kirikhan.
The black spotted pufferfish.
If you catch it, don’t eat it.
“Dum,” 45, and “Chid,” 29, were pronounced dead Feb. 27
when their vessel pulled into a Sattahip fishing pier. Six other men ages
16-29 were taken to Queen Sirikit Hospital where they recovered. One of the
six, “Sue,” 20, spent three days in intensive care.
Pufferfish, one of the most celebrated and infamous menu
items in Japan, contain large amounts of tetrodotoxin in the liver, ovaries
and skin. The poison is lethal with just 2 mg of exposure and there is no
known antidote. Restaurant preparation of the fish is strictly controlled by
laws in Japan and other countries and generally only the most-skilled chefs
can safely prepare it. Yet, even then, fugu liver has been banned from
Japanese restaurant menus since 1984.
The Burmese crew caught their giant black pufferfish on
their ninth day out of Samut Prakan. The Laotian captain advised the men to
discard the fish, as it was too dangerous, but one of the Mon sailors
believed he could follow the Japanese recipe. He boiled the meat, but fried
the highly poisonous eggs. Ten minutes after digging in, paralysis and death
struck.
Tetrotoxin paralyzes the muscles while the victim stays
fully conscious. The victim is unable to breathe, and eventually dies from
asphyxiation. The only treatment is to support the victim’s breathing and
respiration until the toxin is metabolized and excreted from the body.
