Ilonggos warned against eating shellfish from red tide-affected areas

Ilonggos have been warned not to eat shellfish and “alamang” (acetes species) from areas affected by red tide.

The Provincial Health Office (PHO) said aquatic microorganisms causing the paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) were detected in the coastal waters of Bataan, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Masbate, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Western Samar, Leyte, Eastern Samar, Davao Oriental, Surigao del Sur, and Zamboanga del Sur.

Moreover, the coastal waters of Biliran Islands, Calubian in Leyte, Guiuan in Eastern Samar, and Cambatutay Bay in Western Samar tested positive for red tide toxin.

“All types of shellfish and ‘alamang’ gathered from [these] areas are not safe for human consumption,” the PHO said.

According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), a person can become ill from eating toxic shellfish.

The PHO requested Health Emergency Management Service (HEMS) “to be on alert for monitoring of the said event, for possible deployment and logistics provision in case untoward incident may arise.”

“Officers-on duty are encouraged to do proactive monitoring, to be vigilant and to send flash reports of any untoward incident to the PHO-HEMS through our assistant HEMS coordinator, Maria Consolacion Ebrada at email add: ping_ebrada@yahoo.com,” the PHO said.IMT