ILOILO CITY – A nine-year-old boy died and 31 others were hospitalized due to suspected red tide poisoning in Capiz province.
“The identified cases manifested the following signs and symptoms: Numbness, vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, amongst others, after consumption of green mussels (tahong),” said Capiz Gov. Fredenil Castro in a statement.
The Capiz Provincial Health Office (CPHO) reported that the fatality was from Pilar town which recorded a total of 28 suspected cases of red tide.
Three suspected red tide cases were also recorded in Pontevedra and one in the provincial capital Roxas City.
Youngest red tide victim was six and the oldest was 87.
Due to the high number of cases, Castro sent a CPHO-Epidemiological Surveillance and Response Unit (CESRU) team to investigate.
The provincial government echoed the temporary ban imposed by Mayor Arnold Perez against the “gathering, harvesting, transporting, selling, and consuming of all forms of shellfish” in the municipality.