Seven killed in shellfish poisoning in Kerala

Panic spread along the coastal belt of Thiruvananthapuram in the first week of September as people were rushed to hospitals complaining of dizziness, vomiting, diarrhoea and other alarming symptoms. Over the next two days, seven people died and over 350 were under emergency treatment. They had all eaten shellfish contaminated by "red tide" toxins.

Red tide is the discoloration of the sea caused by an abnormal proliferation of a poisonous organism, Alexandrium Catanella. Shellfish feed on the organism and pass on the toxin to humans, causing what is known as paralytic shellfish poisoning. PSP attacks the nervous system and as little as one milligram is enough to kill an adult.

The outbreak of PSP caught the government flatfooted. Shellfish poisoning deaths have been known to occur in the US and the Philippines, but never on the Kerala coast. The government quickly imposed a total ban on the harvesting and consumption of shellfish in Kovalam, Vizhinjam and Poovar, the sites of the outbreak. Samples of sea water and shellfish collected from Kovalam showed the highest toxicity, sowing fears of an adverse impact on tourism. Seafood went off the menu in every hotel in the area.

The medical and scientific community were unprepared for the new phenomenon. As victims streamed into the city’s hospitals, doctors brushed up on the subject. They were confronted by the classical symptoms of PSP -- tingling of the lips and tongue are the first signs. It can progress to loss of control of arms and legs and finally to difficulty in breathing. If enough toxin is consumed, death from respiratory failure can result within two hours. There is no known antidote for PSP toxins.

Shortly after the crisis broke, a medical camp was set up at the site. Loudspeakers cautioned local people not to consume shellfish, a message that helped restrict the death toll.

Dr M Narendranathan, head of gastroenterology at the Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, and who heads the four-member expert committee appointed to study the problem, did not rule out a recurrence of PSP proliferation and recommends constant monitoring of shellfish poisoning levels. Toxin levels exceeding 80 micrograms per 100 grams of shellfish are deemed to cross the danger limit. Why have no PSP deaths occurred in Kerala in the past? Dr Narendranathan has no answer.

Average daily earnings range between Rs 150 to Rs 300. During the current ban, fishing families have begun borrowing money.

The PSP outbreak has affected the fishing economy. Prices have plummeted but sales remain low.

But the fishing community feels the "red tide" is not always a discoloration caused by natural organisms. It is also a result of man-made alterations or disturbances to the marine ecosystem brought about by the indiscriminate dumping of industrial wastes, garbage disposal in coastal areas and dynamite fishing. They point an accusing finger at the luxury hotels that have mushroomed on the coastline.

Rajendran, a local fisherman, observes, "My father and grandfather were fishermen. They have not heard of anyone dying after eating shellfish in Kerala." The conclusions of scientists are challenged by the coastal communities. "We know the sea better than any scientist or doctor," asserts Naseer, a fisherman from Vizhinjam. "It has provided and fed us for generations. The sea does not produce poisons that would kill fishermen".

The shellfish ban has had an adverse economic impact on the fishing community. Around a thousand families have lost their means of livelihood. Fisherfolk are sore at the government’s indifference to their plight. Households afflicted by the toxin were given free rations for a week, but little else has been done to alleviate the consequences of sudden impoverishment.