A lady who consumed shellfish and afterwards awoke paralysed has urgently warned of the perils of an odourless and tasteless poison that the seafood was laced with.
Within 12 hours of eating pipis, a tiny clam-like mollusc she had picked from Little Waihi Beach on New Zealand’s North Island, Kim Taia went from being in good condition and shape to being completely paralysed.
When Taia’s lips began to tingle and a wave of disorientation swept over her at the dentist, she said it felt as if an anaesthetic injection had been given to her.
According to Ms. Taia, “it proceeded rather swiftly from there, hurting my face.”
“I was experiencing head numbness and vertigo. I had trouble speaking effectively.
“I questioned what was wrong.” I experienced tunnel vision and was becoming lightheaded.
I thereafter began to have numbness in my hands and arms.
Ms. Taia’s son dialled 911, but as her health quickly deteriorated, he hurried her into town where they saw an ambulance.
Ms. Taia was examined by paramedics, but they were unable to detect any problems, so after more testing at the hospital, she was sent home to rest.
The next morning, Ms. Taia was entirely immobile and paralysed from head to toe.
Doctors at the hospital, where she was brought back to, were baffled by her condition.
We spent a few hours there, and Ms. Taia said she was growing weaker and weaker.
“I believed I was going to die since my breathing was slowing down.” Due to my inability to breathe and lack of a diagnosis, I started to worry.
When an orderly asked Ms. Taia if she wanted anything to eat and her family said that the last thing she had eaten the night before was pipis, doctors realised she had paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).
Within a week, Ms. Taia had fully recovered after receiving fluids to wash out the poison and oxygen to aid her breathing.
This month, Ms. Taia spoke out about her trauma for the first time at a wnanga, a publicly funded university that offers education within a Mori cultural framework.
The wnanga, which Te Arawa Ki Tai, a Mori environmental organisation, organised, helped spread awareness of the risks PSP poses to the neighbourhood.
According to Ms. Taia, “Shellfish has been a part of our people for centuries.”
Scientists from the Cawthron Institute gave the public fast testing kits last week so that anyone could check for the poison.
Tim Harwood, a research scientist at the Cawthron Institute, said the testing kit gives the population “peace of mind” since ingesting poisons might result in amnesia, paralysis, or even death.
Raewyn Bennet, the chairperson of Mori environmental organisation Te Arawa Ki Tai, said the testing kits enabled the community to maintain its traditions without worrying about hazardous poisoning.
According to Ms. Bennet, the Te Arawa typically go to Little Waih to get their kaimoana (seafood).
We still wish to practise these traditions, and as kaitiaki, it is our responsibility to ensure that others are safe.
What exactly is PSP (paralytic shellfish poisoning)?
A naturally occurring marine biotoxin called paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is generated by a few species of tiny algae.
When shellfish consume algae that contains a biotoxin, the toxin may sometimes be retained.
The biotoxin paralyses muscles and damages the neurological system, thus the phrase “paralytic” shellfish poison.
In most cases, PSP symptoms start to show up 10 minutes to 3 hours after consuming the deadly shellfish.
Numbness and tingling in the lips, face, and extremities, trouble breathing or swallowing, headache and dizziness, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, paralysis, respiratory failure, and in extreme instances, death, are only a few of the symptoms.
Anyone exhibiting PSP symptoms should seek emergency medical attention right once and save any remaining shrimp so it may be analysed.