Senior Citizen In Johor Dies After Eating Pufferfish She Bought Online
The woman's husband, who ate the fish with her, is currently in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Enche' Hajjah Kalsom Hospital in Kluang.
By May Vin Ang — 29 Mar 2023, 11:44 AM
A senior citizen in Johor has died after eating pufferfish that she bought from an online seller
Meanwhile, her husband, who ate the fish with her, is currently in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Enche' Hajjah Kalsom Hospital in Kluang.
According to The Star, the incident occurred last Saturday, 25 March.
Johor State Health and Unity Committee chairperson Ling Tian Soon said the 83-year-old woman from Jalan Sin Tiam, Chamek, had ordered the fish, also known locally as ikan buntal, through social media and received it on Saturday morning.
"They cleaned and cooked the fish for lunch and around 3pm, the woman started shivering and having breathing difficulties," he told the English daily.
"About an hour later, her husband began displaying similar symptoms."
Ling said their son rushed them to Enche' Hajjah Kalsom Hospital's emergency department around 5pm. However, the woman was pronounced dead at 7pm, while her 84-year-old husband was sent to the ICU.
It is understood that it was the couple's first time eating pufferfish
Ling said further investigations found that the fish came from a fisherman from Endau and was processed by a wholesaler in Batu Pahat.
"Some sellers from Batu Pahat then sent the pufferfish to customers according to their orders on Facebook," he said, reported Harian Metro.
"Besides the couple, up to 15kg of pufferfish was sold and delivered to four customers in Chamek, Paloh, and one in Yong Peng that day. However, the others had yet to consume the fish."
The Kluang and Batu Pahat district health offices have since taken samples from the fish for analysis.
"The public is advised to be careful of food that they choose to consume, especially when they know it comes with risks," Ling advised.
The fish, also known as fugu in Japan, is known to be lethally poisonous, and must be carefully prepared before consumption
According to BBC, in Japan, only highly trained and licenced chefs are allowed to prepare and serve the dish, as domestic preparation often leads to accidental death.
