Elderly Woman Dies, Husband in Comatose After Eating Puffer Fish For Lunch

A rare delicacy turned out to be the cause of death and coma for an older woman and her husband. Just the other week, an 83-year-old woman in Johor, Malaysia, reportedly died after eating the dish while her 84-year-old husband remained in an unconscious state at the intensive care unit.

Puffer Fish Dish Leads to the Death and Comatoseness of a Couple

As per Channel News Asia, Ling Tian Soon, the Johor Health and Unity Committee chairman, notes that it was the first time these two had eaten puffer fish. They ate the fish for a late lunch at around 3 p.m.

Newsweek notes that the older woman also began shivering and was experiencing breathing difficulties. An hour later, her husband started exhibiting similar symptoms.

Their son rushed the two of them to the hospital. However, by around 7 p.m., the older woman was pronounced dead.

As per Mr. Soon, their case has been noted as food poisoning due to puffer fish. More specifically, it was food poisoning with neurological manifestations that led to respiratory failure coupled with cardiac dysrhythmia that is potentially because of a ciguatera toxin or tetrodotoxin ingestion from the fish.

Mr. Soon adds that they have not received any new reports regarding the case. He also mentions that all the fish sold on the specific date has been confiscated by the District Health Office to be analyzed.

He notes that there was a total of 15 kg of puffer fish that four customers had purchased in Chamek, Paloh, and Yong Peng that day. Aside from the couple, other purchasers have not yet eaten the fish.

Investigators later discovered the fish was gotten from fishermen in Endau, Mersing. The fish was taken before being sent to wholesalers for processing in Batu Pahat and released to customers based on demand.

The Star reports that the couple's daughter, Ng Ai Lee, 51, notes that her parents have purchased fish from the same seller for years. Hence, her father did not have second thoughts about buying.

Mr. Soon reminds individuals in Johor to be careful about their food choices, especially if risks are involved.

Puffer Fish Delicacy

As per Newsweek, it is a well-known Japanese delicacy. Though it is still a delicacy offered in several regions and countries across Asia, the toxicity of puffer fish has already been established.

The fish is known to harbor a strong neurotoxin known as tetrodotoxin. As per National Geographic, for humans, this toxin is around 1,200 times more poisonous compared to cyanide. The creature contains enough toxins to kill up to 30 adult humans. What makes things worse is that there is no known antidote for it.

Across Japan, only qualified chefs who know how to remove these toxins can serve the fish. In Malaysia, selling fish is prohibited.

Noor Hisham Abdulla, the health director-general of Malaysia, notes that data from the Health Ministry shows that in the past 38 years in Malaysia, there have been at least 58 incidents of puffer fish poisoning, with 18 of them resulting in death.

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