Dozens Snack On Deadly Fishballs

[triplegee]

Full story here... http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23569216-23109,00.html

MORE than 140 people have been rushed to hospital in northern Thailand after snacking on fish balls thought to be made from the highly-poisonous puffer fish, local media reported today.

Villagers in Nan province were given a soup containing the fish balls at a funeral, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported, and soon began vomiting, complaining of numbness in the tongue and shortness of breath.

After being rushed to hospital, doctors deduced that the funeral-goers had symptoms in line with puffer fish poisoning, which can be deadly, the English-language daily said.

They are being kept in hospital under observation.

The fish balls were bought at a local market, the paper said, adding that meat from the toxic fish is sometimes used illegally because it is cheap.

Puffer fish is valued as a delicacy known as fugu in Japan, where chefs are specially trained to prepare it so it does not endanger diners.

The fish contains a poison known as tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin which paralyses a person's muscles and for which there is no antidote.

Another case of the old deadly fish balls. Be careful with what you are eating.

Edited April 20, 2008 by triplegee