A 67-year-old Hong Kong man was taken to hospital on Saturday after he suffered suspected tetrodotoxin poisoning from eating puffer fish, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) says.
The man, who had consumed dried puffer fish on Friday evening, experienced dizziness, paraesthesia (prickling and burning of skin), numbness in his fingers and around his mouth, nausea, and vomiting.
The symptoms appeared roughly three hours after he and his wife ate the fish. He was taken to United Christian Hospital’s emergency room but is now reported to be stable condition, and did not need to be hospitalised.
His wife did not develop any of the aforementioned symptoms.
The dried puffer fish was reportedly purchased from a stall in Ngau Tau Kok. An investigation by the CHP is underway.
“Puffer fish” (or “blowfish”) refers to multiple species of fish within the Tetraodontidae family. While its meat is considered a delicacy in some countries, the majority of puffer fish contain tetrodotoxin, a highly potent neurotoxin.
In extreme cases, tetrodotoxin poisoning can lead to death.
In Japan, chefs must undergo a training course for roughly three years in order to be qualified to safely prepare and serve puffer fish.
According to the CHP, tetrodotoxin is “heat-stable” and cannot be destroyed by cooking, boiling, drying, or freezing. There is no known antidote or antitoxin.
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