Red Tide kills boy, downs six others in Sorsogon

A six-year-old boy died while six of his relatives were hospitalized after eating shellfish contaminated with red tide toxins in Sorsogon province in Bicol. Radio dzBB reported on Thursday that the shellfish was gathered from Sorsogon Bay, which the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources identified as positive for red tide toxins. The fatality was identified as Brent Espaldon, of Sitio Estorum in Trece Martires village in Casiguran town in Sorsogon province. Those hospitalized were Espaldon's father Bernabe, 39; and his siblings Lyn Vanessa, 16; Beverly, 12; John Bernard, 11; twin brother Brix, 6; and younger brother Bryan, 1. They were confined at the Hibo Francisco Medical Center in Casiguran town. "Sa kabila ng mahigpit na babala at panawagan ng Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources sa publiko na mag-ingat sa pagkain lalo na ng mga ipinagbabawal na lamang dagat mula sa Sorsogon Bay ay may ilan pang mga Sorsoganon ang matigas pa rin ang ulo (Despite the BFAR's advisories not to gather and eat shellfish from Sorsogon Bay, there are still some hardheaded people who insist on defying the ban)," the blog site of the Philippine Information Agency in Sorsogon said. BFAR Sorsogon OIC Provincial Fishery Officer Gil Ramos said the victims became numb after eating the shellfish "baloko" for lunch. They then vomited and felt dizzy, and were rushed to a hospital. BFAR's August 11 shellfish bulletin tagged Sorsogon as one of four areas positive for red tide toxins, which may cause paralytic shellfish poisoning. BFAR Sorsogon marine biologist Francisco Dollesin had also warned of the presence of "pyrodinium bahamense," another toxin, in Sorsogon Bay. Casiguran is a fourth-class town with a population of 28,057 people in 5,381 households. –VVP, GMANews.TV