Previously, on the afternoon of September 16, a couple in Duc Pho town, Quang Ngai province ate puffer fish. About an hour later, both of them experienced symptoms such as dizziness, numbness in the tip of the tongue, and then numbness in the whole body.
The couple was taken to the Provincial General Hospital by relatives for emergency treatment. The husband had more severe symptoms and was admitted in cardiac arrest. The patient was given emergency treatment and transferred to the Intensive Care Unit - Anti-Poisoning Department in a deep coma, stopped breathing and had to be put on a ventilator. The wife had milder symptoms and was treated according to the food poisoning protocol.
By September 17, the husband’s health had improved. He was awake and breathing on his own. However, due to his poor health and underlying lung disease, he continued to receive intensive treatment. The wife’s health has stabilized.
According to Quang Ngai General Hospital, puffer fish has toxins concentrated in the skin, intestines, liver, abdominal muscles, seminal vesicles, and most of all, the eggs. Currently, there is no specific treatment for puffer fish poisoning. People should not eat puffer fish if they do not know how to prepare this type of fish.
