Downtown Iloilo City, Philippines.

Seafood poisoning in Iloilo a result of climate change

Experts estimate that up to 50,000 people worldwide suffer ciguatera poisoning every year, more than 90 percent of cases unreported. Ciguatera is a rarely fatal type of seafood poisoning that is a growing risk as the oceans become warmer due to climate change.

Dozens of popular fish types, including grouper and barracuda, live near reefs. They accumulate the toxic chemical in their bodies from eating smaller fish that graze on the poisonous algae. When oceans are warmed by the greenhouse effect and fouled by toxic runoff, coral reefs are damaged and poisonous algae thrives.

In cities like Iloilo, doctors are often ill-equipped to diagnose aguatera, which has a range of symptoms and is sometimes misdiagnosed. For the patients in Iloilo, intravenous drips and a diuretic to relieve their suffering resulted in a complete cure.

More and more cities are facing the need to mitigate climate change while already adapting to the changes brought about by climate change. ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection^® (CCP) Campaign is an innovative international campaign that helps local government and their communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the environment. And now, the CCP Campaign is launching the Adaptation Initiative, building capacity for climate change impacts at the local level. For more information, please visit www.iclei.org/ccp.

Iloilo is one of 15 local governments in the Philippines that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. For more information on ICLEI and its activities in Southeast Asia, please visit www.iclei.org/sea.

Source: “Seafood poisoning rises with warming”, Associated Press, 2 April 2007.

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