The public are advised that the Health and Social Care Directorate have received several reports of minor health issues following the consumption of fish products.
Patients have reported facial flushing, headaches and diarrhoea within 10-60 minutes of eating tuna mince. The likely cause is scombroid (histamine) fish poisoning that can result from certain types of fish being incorrectly held at warm temperatures after capture, during subsequent handling, storage, retail or home preparation.
This condition is not life-threatening and usually settles on its own within 4-6 hours. Taking oral antihistamines can help to alleviate symptoms.
Environmental and public health professionals are actively investigating this issue and working with the industry to identify the source and prevent further cases.
In the meantime, the public are requested to:
- Avoid consuming products or meals containing tuna mince until further notice
- Seek immediate medical care if developing difficulty breathing, blurred vision, tongue swelling or fainting episodes after eating tuna
- Report any adverse reactions after eating tuna (including in the past 3 months) to the environmental health office at eh.office@sainthelena.gov.sh.
Please retain any tuna mince products and await further advice on how these can be disposed of or returned. Further updates on the affected batches will be provided as the investigation progresses.