Eight children in Madagascar died from acute food poisoning believed to have been caused by eating sea turtle meat, the country’s health service said on Tuesday.
“Twenty-seven people suffered food poisoning, of which eight died between January 8 and January 9 after eating sea turtle,” said health ministry representative Borohany Said.
This incident comes on the heels of a similar occurrence in December in which eight people died from acute food poisoning after eating contaminated sardinella fish. That incident took place in the Antiranana province.
Madagascar authorities advise against eating sea turtles and 24 other fish species, especially during the hotter months of the year. Many of those species are known to consume toxic algae that can prove lethal in the summer months.
