Three reasons why many people get food poisoning from eating seafood.

According to Dr. Hoang Sam, President of the Vietnam Institute of Traditional Medicine, poisoning from seafood, including some other types of seafood, is quite common. The main cause is that seafood is exposed to toxins from the environment.

Firstly, toxins such as Ciduatoxin (CTX) are heat-stable and are not destroyed during cooking. This toxin originates from microalgae, which attach to larger algae or seaweed in coral reef areas. Fish that eat plants accumulate this toxin in their bodies.

Furthermore, due to the marine food chain (larger fish eat smaller fish), larger fish tend to contain more toxins. Fish at risk of CTX contamination include snapper, grouper, tuna, and eel.

Secondly, marine fish also contain toxins in their bodies. These toxins can be found in the spines, dorsal fins, ventral fins, and pectoral fins of fish like parrotfish; toxins in the reproductive organs of fish like pufferfish, sardines, barramundi, herring, and eels; and toxins in the eggs of fish like pufferfish and sharks. These toxins are very resistant to heat and other chemicals and can circulate in the fish's bloodstream.

Thirdly, seafood that is kept on ice for extended periods before consumption can lead to dead fish mixing with live fish, creating conditions for bacterial contamination. Some types of spoiled fish are dangerous, such as tuna. Invading bacteria produce decarboxylase, which converts histidine into histamine in the fish's flesh, gills, and intestines. Histamine in seafood causes poisoning within 4 hours of consumption, with symptoms such as headache, skin redness, itching, flushing, and general discomfort.

In addition, there is a risk of seafood being treated with chemical preservatives such as urea and borax. Chemical poisoning often manifests more slowly and can be chronic.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi), doctors have received many cases of poisoning after eating seafood from coral reefs such as eels, snappers, and sardines.

Dr. Nguyen stated that ciduatoxin poisoning is very dangerous. Patients exhibit symptoms such as cardiac arrhythmias, weakness, fatigue, hypotension, numbness and tingling in the extremities and mouth, generalized inflammation and itching, muscle pain, joint pain, and possibly paralysis. In some cases, depression and memory loss may occur. While ciduatoxin poisoning is less fatal, some elderly people, young children, and those with weakened immune systems may still die due to respiratory failure, respiratory muscle paralysis, seizures, or cardiac arrhythmias.

To avoid poisoning, you need to clearly identify the type and origin of the fish before eating it, and avoid eating spoiled fish. When preparing the fish, people should remove the intestines, gills, and other parts that may contain toxins. Fish that live in coral reefs, such as snapper, grouper, tuna, and sea eel, should not be consumed in large quantities.

If symptoms of poisoning appear, such as numbness of the tongue and lips, muscle aches, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, or rash, the patient should be monitored. In severe cases, they should go to a medical facility for prompt examination and treatment.

When providing first aid to someone suffering from seafood poisoning, Dr. Sam advises inducing vomiting, followed by the consumption of herbal remedies such as pandan leaf tea, white ginger tea, perilla leaf tea, activated charcoal, and then seeking emergency medical attention at the nearest healthcare facility.