By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

INFECTIOUS disease expert Dr Nikkiah Forbes said warm weather is to blame for the bacteria causing conch poisoning in the country, not the sanitary practices of vendors.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has confirmed at least ten cases of conch poisoning that are believed to be caused by the bacteria vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Dr Forbes said: “The bacteria that generally causes this usually causes diarrhoea illnesses, gastroenteritis among other things. It is a seafood related diarrhoea illness. What it means is the organism lives in the marine environment usually.

“It is usually found in the shallow part of the salty water environment. This bacteria increases in the environment as the water temperature increases. In hot, salty water it causes seafood to get contaminated. Raw conch, oysters and seafood like that usually get contaminated.

“People have to be aware that you’re at risk for infection if you consume underwater seafood, particularly in hot summer months. That’s why conch poisoning comes up from time to time in hot water. If you put seafood in shallow containers, in hot salty water, the bacteria could multiply considerably and cause cross contamination. Cooked conch is different. “Freezing conch and cooking conch in warm temperatures kills the bacteria, so vendors have to be careful.

“The bacteria comes on the conch. You could have really good hygiene practice and there could just be a lot of this bacteria in the water and you could still get food poisoning.”

Dr Forbes’ comments come as some have called for vendors to undergo training that lead to better sanitary practices.

Paul Maillis, director of the Bahamas Fisheries Association, recently told The Tribune there should be mandatory sanitary certifications for fishery suppliers.

Last week, the Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority cautioned consumers to avoid eating fresh conch or conch that they suspect was not properly handled and/or prepared until the source of the contamination can be determined.

“Signs of infection may be in the form of watery diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, headache and bloody diarrhoea and usually occurs within 24 hours after ingesting the suspect food but may range between four to 96 hours,” BAHFSA said.

“This may last from one to seven days and although in most instances treatment may not be necessary, infected persons who are experiencing any of these symptoms should seek medical attention at their local clinic or nearest medical facility.”

Officials said reporting an illness is critical in conducting a trace-back investigation to determine the point of contamination and the pathogen at fault.

Conch vendors should follow industry best practices to avoid food borne illnesses due to conch contamination, it was advised.