“Tragedy on Pemba Island: 9 Dead and 78 Hospitalized After Consuming Sea Turtle Meat in Zanzibar”

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"Tragedy on Pemba Island: 9 Dead and 78 Hospitalized After Consuming Sea Turtle Meat in Zanzibar"

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Eight children and one adult have died after consuming sea turtle meat on Pemba Island in the Zanzibar archipelago, with 78 others hospitalized, authorities announced on Saturday.

Despite periodic deaths from chelonitoxism, a form of food poisoning, sea turtle meat is considered a delicacy by the people of Zanzibar.

The adult who passed away on Friday was the mother of one of the deceased children, according to Dr. Haji Bakari, the medical officer for Mkoani District. He stated that the consumption of turtle meat occurred on Tuesday.

Bakari informed The Associated Press that laboratory tests had confirmed that all victims had ingested sea turtle meat.

Following the incident, authorities in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania, dispatched a disaster management team led by Hamza Hassan Juma, who urged people to refrain from consuming sea turtles.

In November 2021, seven individuals, including a 3-year-old child, died on Pemba after consuming turtle meat, while three others were hospitalized.