Say no to turtle meat

Three people have died and 32 others were confined in government hospitals allegedly due to food poisoning after eating cooked sea turtle meat in Maguindanao del Norte province.
A few hours after eating the sea turtle meat, they suffered gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, and were rushed to the nearby Lebak District Hospital in Sultan Kudarat province. The incident was reported to the Epidemiological Bureau and in consultation with experts from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Toxicology Department, it was advised that all those who consumed the sea turtle meat, symptomatic or not, be admitted to the CRMC for observation and management, he said.

“Some believed that eating pawikan (sea turtle) can heal diseases as told by their ancestors. I hope they will stop believing that wrong belief,” said Dhoe Embe, a local resident. While the idea of sea turtle meat as a delicacy might persist in some cultures, it carries significant health risks and legal consequences. “Despite global efforts and international laws aimed at protecting endangered and threatened sea turtle populations, their consumption continues to be a long-standing tradition among many cultures around the world,” said Alonso Aguirre, dean of Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources. His study, conducted in Sinaloa, Mexico, suggests that people who consume sea turtles have a greater risk of accumulating heavy metals in their bodies. The findings of his study was published at the World Medical and Health Policy on December 19, 2017.