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alexk
Guest
Days after the Government discontinued permits for the importation of processed crab meat and live crab from neighbouring Venezuela because of potential cholera risks, a request has been made for cholera testing to be done in rural fishing communities in Cedros and Icacos.
In an interview, Cedros councillor Shankar Teelucksingh questioned whether the Ministry of Health’s Food and Drug Division had done any tests on local crabs to determine whether they were also contaminated by the bacteria, Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
Teelucksingh said the Orinoco River pours into the Gulf of Paria bringing with it clumps of flora, snakes, crabs, and other creatures.
“If they are banning the importation of live crabs how are they going to stop it from reaching here. What parts of Venezuela are the bacteria found? What testing was done to confirm this?” Teelucksingh asked.
He added that over 100 crab catchers and crab vendors in the southwestern peninsula were suffering because no one wanted to buy crabs in fear of falling sick.
Teeklucksingh said studies have shown that food that which is properly cooked prevented the spread of cholera.
“I want to know what checks is presently being done at the Cedros port by the Ministry of Health of all products coming in, like fish, shrimps, dairy, and poultry. Are we equipping health centres with cholera kits?
Are people being tested in Icacos and are they educating people about how cholera is spread?” Teelucksingh asked.
He said banning the issuing of permits for the importation of the packaged crab meat and live crabs should have only occurred if proper investigations were done.
Contacted yesterday, Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat said the concerns raised by Teelucksingh fell under the purview of the Health Ministry. However, he denied a report from the Jamaica Observer that
T&T had banned crab meat and live crabs from Venezuela.
“We have issued no ban on crab meat from Venezuela. The Ministry of Trade has not issued any import permit for crab meat from Venezuela. We have simply shared the US FDA advisory - for consumers to be aware of the risk of consuming packaged crab meat coming illegally from Venezuela,” Rambharat said.
He added that the Ministry was concerned about possible health risks coming from the Venezuelan mainland.
He also said that if there is any local ban or advisory, the Ministry of Health will notify citizens.
Last week, the FDA reported that 12 people in the US fell ill after eating crab meat infected by the bacteria, which prompted the advisory.