Red tide forces shellfish ban in Zambo Sur

Alarmed over red tide there, health authorities in Mindanao have banned the catching of crabs and shellfish for food at the Dumanquilas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur province. Sun-Star Zamboanga (www.sunstar.com.ph) reported Friday that the local health department monitored a rise in the dinoflagellate level, which causes red tide, in the area. This developed even as health authorities are now looking into a separate food poisoning case that downed a family of six in Zamboanga del Sur. DOH regional epidemiology center nurse Maxell Bermas said the shellfish ban was a preventive measure to avert the possibility of residents being poisoned. He said the ban would be in effect until March and may be extended depending on the monitoring results of the dinoflagellate level. "Usually it (dinoflagellate level increases) happens every first quarter of the year," Bermas said, adding the monitoring was done with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). Dumanquilas Bay serves as the main source of crabs and shellfish for restaurants in the Zamboanga Peninsula, which includes the cities of Dapitan, Dipolog, Pagadian, Isabela, and Zamboanga; and the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga del Norte. Also, he said the DOH regional office is investigating the cause of food poisoning in one of the towns in Zamboanga del Sur. Meanwhile, Bermas said the DOH is investigating the food poisoning incident that downed a family of six from the town of Tukuran. He said the family was poisoned and hospitalized on Monday after they ate cassava. "It is possible they have eaten wild cassava, which are abundant in far flung areas," Bermas said. Bermas said the Tukuran food poisoning was the third incident that took place in the region since last month. Some 28 people fell ill in that incident. The other two incidents occurred last month where nine people were downed after eating spaghetti and 13 others after they ate roasted pig. Bermas said it was discovered that the food they ate were contaminated since laboratory tests showed positive for e-coli bacteria. - GMANews.TV