The Health Directorate in Sohag, Upper Egypt, warned citizens against buying and eating poisonous rabbit-fish, stressing the need to verify the type of fish before purchasing it whether whole or in the form of slices.
The Undersecretary of the Health Ministry in Sohag Ahmed Mahrous in a Friday statement explained that the poisonous rabbitfish leads to death within six to eight hours after consumption.
Symptoms of poisoning manifest as shortness of breath, persistent nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, decreased heart rate, muscle paralysis, and eventually a coma, he said.
He noted that Rabbitfish are illegal to catch and trade in markets and its appearance is distinctive and can be easily recognized, as it has gray, puffy skin and has sharp, pointed teeth that resemble rabbit teeth.
Mahrous continued that the fish, which is found in the Red and Mediterranean seas, contains the poison Tetrodotoxin, which is considered highly toxic with no cure.
Food inspection teams in the directorate and all centers in the governorate are intensifying their monitoring campaigns on markets and places where food is sold and stored in the governorate in cooperation with other concerned authorities to ensure the access of healthy and safe food to citizens, he assured.
Mahrous said that all necessary legal measures should be taken against those who try to harm the health of citizens.
