Eight children and an adult have died from chelonitoxism, a severe form of food poisoning, after consuming sea turtle meat in Pemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The incident also resulted in the hospitalization of 78 others. Sea turtles are a local delicacy, even though they are known to pose risks of fatal food poisoning.
The adult victim, confirmed by Dr. Haji Bakari, the Mkoani District medical officer, was the mother of one of the deceased children. The consumption of turtle meat, identified as the cause of the fatalities, took place on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Laboratory tests later confirmed the presence of chelonitoxism in all the victims.
Chelonitoxism results from toxins in certain sea turtles’ meat, leading to symptoms ranging from itching and mouth pain to severe neurological issues like confusion, seizures, or coma. This condition is especially dangerous for children, who may suffer long-term effects, including paralysis or other disabilities. Currently, there is no known antidote for chelonitoxism, and medical treatment is limited to symptom management.
This incident is not isolated. In November 2021, a similar incident occurred on Pemba Island, claiming the lives of seven people, including a toddler, and hospitalizing others. In response to the latest outbreak, Zanzibar authorities dispatched a disaster management team led by Hamza Hassan Juma, urging the public to refrain from consuming sea turtle meat to prevent future cases of chelonitoxism.
In various coastal areas, particularly in Central America and Asia, communities regard sea turtles as a traditional source of nourishment. Hunters scour the shoreline nocturnally during the breeding season to locate egg-laying female turtles.
They commonly wait for the turtle to finish laying eggs before they harvest the animal, taking both the offspring and the turtle’s flesh. In certain regions, sea turtle eggs hold the reputation of having aphrodisiac properties. In some traditions, sea turtle meat is consumed during specific religious festivities.
Before global endangered species awareness campaigns in the 1970s, Europeans often indulged in turtle soup, a then-popular delicacy made from sea turtle meat. Various turtle parts, such as oil, cartilage, skin, and shell, are utilized to make different products.