Beware: Red Tide in Honda Bay
I just picked up over the radio today that the areas spanned by Honda Bay and vicinity including BM Beach and Canigaran have high levels of red tide organisms. Sudden algae blooms like this have harmful effect to humans because the toxic algae called dinoflagellates have toxins that can cause paralysis and ultimately death to humans.
The City Agriculturist Office (CAO) headed by Ms. Melissa Macasaet met with the City Health Office, Tourism Office, and the Market managers to inform them of the situation. Accordingly, the density of red tide organisms was measured by the City Agriculture Office through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) at 108 micrograms per 100 grams of shellfish meat. That is more than double the tolerable limits of 40 micrograms per 100 grams of shellfish meat according to a DOH staff.
Medline Plus enumerates the symptoms of shellfish poisoning into three types:
Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning (meaning it affects the brain)
- nausea
- vomitting
- diarrhea
- numbness or tingling in mouth
- headache
- dizziness, and
- hot and cold temperature reversal
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (sets in about 30 minutes after eating affected shellfish)
- numbness or tingling in mouth which will spread to arms and legs
- dizziness
- less common: nausea, vomitting, and diarrhea
Amnestic Shellfish Poisoning (strange and rare form)
- begins with similar symptoms as the above two but is followed by short-term memory loss (amnesia)
All these symptoms mean that shellfish poisoning can affect one's brain, thus cause paralysis.
The City Agriculturist Office regularly monitors the levels of red tide organisms in collaboration with the Provincial Fish Laboratory staff. Unless there is an update on the advisory, it is strongly advised that everyone should refrain from eating shellfish meat.
Popular shellfish meat that must be avoided include ranga-ranga (spider conch), sikad-sikad, green mussel, clams, and other edible shellfishes. These organisms may be alive even with a lot of poisonous algae in them because shellfish have higher tolerance limit than humans.