On September 19, Bach Mai Hospital informed about 3 people who went to sea to fish and prepare food. One person died in just a few hours, the other two were lucky to receive timely emergency care.
Previously, the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, received 2 cases of toad poisoning in a cluster of 3 cases, of which 1 died on the way to the hospital.
The 21-year-old male patient said that he and 2 others went to the beach to fish and cook. The bowl includes a toad fish about 200g with crab, perilla, squid, Malabar spinach and instant noodles. The person who directly processed and ate all the toad had a severe headache, nausea after about 20 minutes and died from cardiac arrest after only 2 hours. The remaining two people, although not eating toad meat directly, also suffered numbness at the fingertips after about 4 hours.
Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital said that toad contains Tetrodotoxin - an extremely powerful neurotoxin, 275 times stronger than cyanide. Just half a mg is enough to cause death in adults. Notably, Tetrodotoxin is not destroyed by heat, so whether boiled, steamed, grilled or fried, toad fish can still cause poisoning.
Tofu poisoning is always among the most dangerous food poisoning groups with a very high mortality rate. Toxins directly affect the nervous system and cardiovascular system, causing patients to quickly feel numb, paralyzed, have heart rhythm disturbances, drop blood pressure and possibly die from respiratory arrest. There is currently no specific detox drug.
According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, not only toad but many marine creatures such as blue-rumped octopus, some marine snails and reptiles also contain Tetrodotoxin. This toxin can also exist in processed seafood products such as fish cakes or grated fish, making identification even more difficult.
Experts recommend that people absolutely do not fish, buy, sell, process and use toad fish as well as toxic marine creatures.
