Fish Dinner Sends 14 to Hospital

Most of the crew of the general cargo ship Balsa 85 are in a serious condition in hospital in Canada after eating fish on Saturday.

14 of the 19 people on board, including the ship’s master and cook, are suffering from food poisoning from the fish which were caught in international waters.

Three are in intensive care. 

The working diagnosis is the crew has ciguatera, says a medical official in New Brunswick.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the illness is caused by eating fish that contain toxins produced by a microalgae Gambierdiscus toxicus.

Symptoms of ciguatera are nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms such as tingling fingers or toes. There is no cure for ciguatera, but symptoms usually go away in days or weeks. However, it is possible for them to last for years, says CDC's website.

The crew members are all Filipinos.

The Balsa 85 was ready to leave the port of Saint John when the men fell ill.