Two cases of paralytic shellfish poisoning reported in Labuan

LABUAN: Two cases of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) have been reported in Labuan following the red tide phenomenon in the waters off the island, which was detected since early this month.

Labuan Health director Dr Ismail Ali said the two local women, aged 59 and 36, from Sg Miri here were confirmed to have symptoms of PSP and had received outpatient treatment last Thursday.

"They have been diagnosed to have the symptoms after eating seafood and are advised to immediately report to the hospital if the symptoms persist," he told Bernama on Monday.

He said early symptoms included tingling of lips and headache and in severe conditions the patient can develop paralysis of chest and abdominal muscles, which can result in death within two to 23 hours.  

He said the villagers living near the coastal areas must avoid consuming any types of shellfish or bivalves immediately.

Red tide is named after the reddish colour that toxic plankton produces and certain marine creatures that feed on the contaminated plankton had caused deaths in Sabah in the early 1980s. - Bernama