Red tide warning lifted in areas of Camiguin, Misamis Occidental
THE BUREAU of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) announced that the areas of Murcielagos Bay and Ozamis City in Misamis Occidental, and Taguines Lagoon in Mahinog, Camiguin are already free from red tide contamination.
In its eighth shellfish bulletin for the year, BFAR said shellfish harvested in these areas in Northern Mindanao are now safe for human consumption.
However, areas that still remain positive for red tide contamination include Inner Malampaya Sound, Palawan; Dauis and Tagbilaran City, Bohol; Tambobo Bay, Negros Oriental; Calubian and Cancabato Bay, Leyte; Dumanquillas Bay, Zamboanga del Sur; Balite Bay, Davao Oriental; and Lianga Bay and Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.
All types of shellfish and Acetes sp. or alamang harvested from affected areas are not safe for human consumption. However, other marine species can be eaten with proper handling.
Red tide occurs as a result of high concentrations of algae in the water. Human consumption of contaminated shellfish can result in paralytic shellfish poisoning, which affects the nervous system.
Typical symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning include headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Severe cases may include muscular paralysis and respiratory issues. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
Group appeals for gov’t to allow deliveries in jails during strict quarantine period
A SUPPORT group for families and friends of political prisoners in the Philippines asked authorities to allow the delivery of food and other needs to prisoners during the strict lockdown period in Metro Manila and four neighboring provinces, to give them a better chance of surviving the coronavirus threat.
“It is critical to assure the sustained delivery of vital food and health care provisions including maintenance medicines at this time when persons deprived of liberty, especially the elderly and medically vulnerable, need augmented nutritional, medical, and hygiene provisions,” Kapatid Spokesperson Fides Lim said in the group’s letter to prison authorities.
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has suspended the handing over of food and other items to inmates from visitors, citing the surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.
Ms. Lim said they do not see any reason for suspending such deliveries as the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the COVID-19 virus cannot be transmitted via food or food packaging.
“Coronaviruses need a live animal or human host to multiply and survive and cannot multiply on the surface of food packages. It is not necessary to disinfect food packaging materials, but hands should be properly washed after handling food packages and before eating,” WHO said on its website.
The group Kapatid also urged BJMP officials to investigate possible “monopoly practices” inside jails as the banned items are those already sold at higher prices by “coops” (pseudo cooperatives) inside the facilities. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago
