PHNOM PENH, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of Health on Tuesday renewed a call for people not to eat pufferfish after two persons had died.
"One man in Oddar Meanchey province died on July 7 and another man in Kampong Chhnang province died on July 8 after they had consumed pufferfish," the ministry said in a statement.
It added that last week, seven people in central Kampong Chhnang province were also hospitalized after eating pufferfish, but they were all saved on time.
The ministry "would like to remind people to avoid eating pufferfish because it contains a poison that can cause severe illness or death," the statement said.
The symptoms that occur 20 minutes to two hours after eating poisonous pufferfish include numbness, tingling around the mouth and in the limbs, headache, dizziness, salivation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the statement said.
The symptoms may progress to paralysis, loss of consciousness, and respiratory failure that can lead to death, it added. ■
