Tragedy Strikes: Fatalities and Hospitalizations Linked to Sea Turtle Meat Consumption in Zanzibar

Nine people, including eight children, have died and 78 others have been hospitalized on Pemba Island in Zanzibar after consuming sea turtle meat, a delicacy that can cause chelonitoxism, a type of food poisoning. Authorities have confirmed the cause of the illnesses through laboratory tests and are urging people to avoid consuming sea turtles. This is not the first incident of its kind, as in November 2021, seven people died and three others were hospitalized after eating turtle meat on the island.