| Category: | Disease |
| Observation: | 23.11.2009 |
| Continent: | Indonesia archipelago |
| Country: | Philippines |
| State: | Masbate Province |
| Area: | Masbate Island coastal area |
| Location: | |
| Severity: | Hight |
| Event details | |
| Few residents of the island province of Masbate may have noticed, but one of the deadly effects of climate change has quietly imperiled their lives. The cousin of red tide that caused the illness of 56 people in Cataingan town (77 kilometers south of this capital) who fell sick after eating banded barracuda late last year is a sign of climate change, according to authorities. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said ciguatera toxin found in the barracuda uncharacteristically bloomed because of climate change. Citing international studies, Malcolm Sarmiento Jr., BFAR chief, explained in a published article that as the seas warmed up, coral bleaching became more pronounced and harmful algal blooms would increase. The former directly affects coral reefs and the latter may lead in the increase in incidence of red tide and ciguatera poisoning. Ciguatera is a food-borne illness in humans caused by eating marine species whose flesh is contaminated with a toxin called ciguatoxin, present in some algae. | |
| Event map: | |
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