Red Tide Causes Illnesses

In Maine, Canada

SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick (AP) — Eleven people in Maine and New Brunswick were made sick after eating shellfish harvested from beaches affected by red tide, public health officials said.

Eight people in New Brunswick came down with paralytic shellfish poisoning during the weekend after eating clams that were apparently taken from an area under a shellfish harvesting ban. Officials said charges could be result from the outbreak.

Two of the eight people affected were admitted to a hospital, but were reported to be in good condition. The other six were treated and released.

The district medical officer, Dr Scott Giffin, said the clams were purchased from a licensed fisherman who should have known about the ban along the Bay of Fundy shoreline.

Across the border in Maine, three people were admitted to a Machias hospital during the weekend with symptoms of red tide poisoning. It was Maine’s second documented outbreak in less than a year after a nearly 30-year absence.

Dr Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, did not release the names of those affected, but said they were two adults and one adolescent. All three were admitted Saturday to Down East Community Hospital but have since been released.

Dr Mills said shellfish are still safe to eat, but issued a warning.

“The program for testing [red tide] is extremely effective. But people need to remember that if you’re buying, buy from a licensed dealer, and if your going to harvest yourself, check the closures regularly,” she said.

Red tide is caused by naturally occurring algae that produce a toxin that shellfish absorb as they feed. The toxin does not affect the shellfish, but consuming mussels or clams affected by red tide can cause sickness and even death in humans.

The latest poisoning, which came from mussels harvested from Cutler Harbor, came amid increased red tide closures up and down the Maine coast. The area in Cutler has been closed for three weeks, said Darcie Couture, director of biotoxin monitoring for the Maine Department of Marine Resources.