Beware of fresh crab meat from Venezuela

THE public is being warned about purchasing fresh crab meat from Venezuela in the wake of confirmed reports that the meat may contain a bacteria known as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which is in the same family as those that cause cholera.

According to a recent United States Food and Drug Agency (FDA) advisory, “people infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus develop a diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, nausea, fever and stomach pain. Diarrhoea tends to be watery and occasionally bloody.”

Yesterday, Minister of Agriculture Clarence Rambharat further advised that while people may think the issue is a Fisheries Division issue, the importation of seafood from Venezuela requires a licence from the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Health was responsible for public health issues such as these.

He said: “Given the involvement of the other Ministries, I am working along with my colleagues - under whose remit this issue falls - to identify clearly, the steps to be taken by Trinidad and Tobago in light of this revelation.” As of July 12, 2018 there were 12 reported cases of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the US.