2 Dead, 3 On Admission After Consuming Puffer Fish

• Posted on August 25, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

Two persons have been confirmed dead at Abotanso in the Affram Plains North District of the Eastern Region after consuming  the poisonous puffer fish.

The  deceased  Tagbolu Forgive and  Madam  Agbobli Veronica, believed to be 48 and 71 years respectively, allegedly died in the house shortly after eating the fish.

Three other children, Gracious Tagbolu, Opare Kofi, Agbobli Peace and Agbobli  in the same household who ate the fish in smaller quantities are also in critical condition hence on admission at the Donkokrom Presbyterian Hospital.

The Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command DSP Ebenezer Tetteh confirmed the incident to Starr News.

He said autopsy will be conducted to confirm the cause of death.

Last year a whole family perished after consuming the deadly fish in the Volta region.

Following that incident, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), as part of its food safety tips outlined 14 facts about Puffer Fish  known among the Ewe Community as “Gedde”. The FDA noted that Puffer fish belongs to the family of Tetraodontidae which are primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. It has an average lifespan of the puffer fish is around 10 years.

Puffer fish contain tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them foul tasting and often lethal to its predators including humans.

To humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide.

There is enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote.

Symptoms of Pufferfish poisoning generally occur 10-45 minutes after eating fish containing the tetrodotoxin.