Palm | Kelapa Sawit

Muguntan Vanar The Star 7 Jan 13;

KOTA KINABALU: The deadly algae bloom, commonly known as the red tide phenomenon, will peak in the next two months statewide.

Sabah Fisheries Department director Rayner Stuel Galid said that red tide was recorded in November last year and will begin peaking between this month and February before tailing off by June.

“We are conducting daily tests and have found high toxicity in the west coast,” he said, adding that anything above 400 mouse units (MU) was considered dangerous.

Galid advised people to avoid eating oysters, mussels, cockles and any type of clam though other marine products like fish, prawns and crabs were safe for consumption.

He said the red tide has been seen in waters off Papar, Kota Kinabalu and Tuaran in the west coast while they have not received any reports in the east coast.

Two boys, aged 14 and nine, died from paralytic shellfish poisoning after consuming cockles on Jan 1.

The older boy died a day after eating the shellfish while the second boy died on Friday, according to Sabah Health Department director Dr Christina Rundi in a statement.

The boys had collected the cockles from the seafront at Sepanggar about 30km from here and were said to have eaten them raw.

Galid said clams, even when cooked, are still poisonous and should be avoided during the red tide season.

Red tide is a natural phenomenon whereby algae form large colonies which produce harmful effects to marine life. The density of the algae colours the surface of the sea red.

Red tide warning
New Straits Times 7 Jan 13;

HIGHLY TOXIC: Public advised not to consume shellfish for the time being

TWO people have died after consuming shellfish contaminated with the red tide toxin here earlier this week.

State Fisheries director Rayner Stuel Galid, who confirmed the deaths, said the two cases were reported at Sepanggar last Wedensday.

The red tide is an occasional natural phenomenon in Sabah where microorganisms which are naturally living in the sea undergo a population explosion.

Their numbers become so large that they impart a brownish-red colour to the sea.

Rayner said that the latest red tide reading was recorded at 6,000 mouse unit (MU), which indicated very high toxicity.

The department carried out the reading in the waters along the Sepanggar Bay.

"It is harmful to health if toxic shellfish from these waters is consumed," he said yesterday, adding that a reading as low as 400MU was considered dangerous.

The department has detected the red tide in waters here and off Papar, Putatan, Tuaran and Tasik Sitompok in Kuala Penyu.

Rayner said that eating toxic shellfish could cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in humans, which was caused by saxitoxin produced by dinoflagellate, which the shellfish feed on.

"This phenomenon is expected to continue until May.

"The department will continue to monitor the situation and provide information from time to time for the safety of the public.

"We advise the public to refrain from eating shellfish, bivalves and small fish for the time being.

"Deep sea fish, squid and crab can be eaten, but as a precautionary measure, it is important to remove the gills and other internal organs before cooking."

The first PSP case in Sabah was recorded in 1976, when 202 people were reported to suffer illnesses and seven died.

Since then, PSP occurrences had been detected every few years off the west coast of Sabah.

Early symptoms of PSP include tingling of the lips and tongue, which may begin within minutes of eating poisonous shellfish or may take a few hours to develop.

Depending on the amount of toxin a person has ingested, symptoms may progress to the sensation of "pricking of pins and needles" in the skin, loss of sensation in the arms and legs, followed by difficulty in breathing and in more serious cases, nausea.

Warning of shellfish poisoning in Sabah
New Straits Times 7 Jan 13;

KOTA KINABALU: Six people suffered from paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) following the red-tide phenomenon in the state, with two placed in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Jan 1.

However, the two succumbed to severe anaphylactic shock in the following days.

The first victim, a 14-year-old boy, died at his home on Jan 2, after being discharged while a 9-year-old boy was pronounced dead in hospital two days later.

State Health director Dr Christina Rundi confirmed that the department received a notification regarding food poisoning cases involving six people on Jan 2.

"All the patients had consumed shellfish contaminated with red-tide toxin around noon on Jan 1. The shellfish were picked up from Sepanggar waters.

"Between 3pm and 6pm, the patients experienced symptoms, such as numbness in the neck, vomiting, dizziness and shortness of breath.

Christina said the department had sent samples of the contaminated shellfish and seawater to the state Fisheries Department where results showed a high presence of PSP toxin.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin advised residents in the state to seek treatment at hospitals immediately if they experienced symptoms such as numbness and breathing difficulty after consuming cockles.

"In the wake of the red-tide phenomenon, they should refrain from consuming shellfish and bivalve shellfish. However, should they crave for such food, they should eat those that were not obtained from waters off Sabah's west coast."

On Saturday, state Fisheries director Rayner Stuel Galid said the latest red-tide reading carried out in waters along Sepanggar Bay was recorded at 6,000 mouse unit (MU).

This indicates high toxicity as reading as low as 400MU is considered dangerous to humans.

Red-tide is an occasional natural phenomenon in Sabah where microorganisms (dinoflagellate) which are naturally living in the sea undergo a population explosion.

Those who consumed toxic shellfish will suffer from PSP, which is caused by saxitoxin produced by dinoflagellate, which the shellfish feed on.

The red-tide phenomenon has been detected in waters here, and off Ppar, Putatan, Tuaran and Kuala Penyu. It is expected to continue until May.