Indian Ocean: 6 fishermen die, 20 hospitalized with unknown illness. Crewmember says eating a bird preceded illnesses.

[Emily]

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/20104/khmer-fishermen-die-on-thai-vessel/

[h=1]Khmer Fishermen Die on Thai Vessel[/h] Khmer Times / Ros Chanveasna
Monday, 18 January 2016
340 views

Five Cambodian and one Thai fishermen died at sea of unknown causes while 20 of their Cambodian crewmates were hospitalized in Thailand?s Ranong province, after their trawler returned from the Indian Ocean last Thursday, an embassy official said.
Cheam Lamatin, counselor in charge of migrant labor at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, told Khmer Times that the fishermen died while they were on their vessel.
The cause of death has yet to be determined, but an investigation is underway, Mr. Lamatin said.
?Thai authorities reported to us that [the dead men] had an acute lack of Vitamin B,? the diplomat said. He added that Cambodian embassy officials were following the Thai investigation.
Mr. Lamatin said 15 of the 20 hospitalized fishermen had been discharged and that the five that remain in the hospital would recover. A Thai member of the crew said that the day before the sickness struck, one of his crewmates caught a black bird and fed it to the others., according to reports in Thai media. ?A day after eating the bird, the crew fell sick one after another, and six succumbed to the mysterious illness,? one report said.
Mr. Lamatin dismised this as rumor. ?We will trust only the report the Thai authorities send to us.?

 

[Emily]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/826468/lack-of-vitamin-b1-blamed-for-sailors-deaths

News > General
[h=1]Lack of vitamin B1 blamed for sailors' deaths[/h]

• 14 Jan 2016 at 21:07 2,595 viewed4 comments
• WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS

... The first victim died on Dec 26 and the sixth victim died on Wednesday.
Dr Piyasakol said the 25 patients were found with the same condition when their boats returned to Ranong yesterday.
A joint examination carried out by officials from the Department of Disease Control and experts from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital initially indicated that the condition of the dead and the sick matched signs of vitamin B1 deficiency.
...
Test results of 18 samples collected from food, water for drinking and other items such as, tobacco and medicines, would take about two or three weeks. ...

 

[alert]

Note the timing. If the first death occurred on December 26, then this has been going on for over a month. That's not consistent with a single exposure to something, such as a poisoned or infected bird.

 

[Emily]

Note the timing. If the first death occurred on December 26, then this has been going on for over a month. That's not consistent with a single exposure to something, such as a poisoned or infected bird.

Good point, alert! And the Thai fisherman described the illness as passing from one to the other. Maybe the severe malnutrition played a part in susceptibility, though. So far we don't see any cases reported in medical workers or other contacts. Hopefully fishing vessels will supply more balanced diets to crew members in the future. They probably need more food, period.