9 People Die From Food Poisoning After Eating Turtles Considered Local Delicacy

Eight children and one adult are dead after eating sea turtle meat on Pemba Island in the Zanzibar Archipelago of Tanzania. Another 78 people have been treated at regional hospitals after consuming sea turtle meat, considered a local delicacy. The government has attempted to educate people on why eating sea turtles is not a good idea.

This is not the first time that people have died on the island after consuming sea turtles. In 2021, other people died after eating sea turtles, including a mother and child.

In that case, the mother passed the food poisoning to the child through her breast milk.

People are getting sick from eating sea turtles because they have chelonitoxism on their bodies. While not harmful to the turtles themselves, these toxins can be deadly to humans. The government has tried to educate residents before about the effects of eating sea turtle meat or turtle eggs, but they say they will increase their educational efforts.

Food poisoning from eating sea turtles can produce many different symptoms. In its mildest form, chelonitoxism commonly triggers symptoms like mild nausea and headaches, but its effects can escalate to more severe manifestations, including persistent vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle weakness.