The Mouth-Watering Caribbean Cuisine You Sadly Might Want To Avoid As The Climate Warms

Diving into the Caribbean's waters and cuisine are all part of experiencing this paradise to its fullest. Fresh tropical fish is abundant in this region and is often featured on the menus of local eateries and markets. But alas, you may want to avoid eating tropical reef fish in the Caribbean, especially as climate change continues to impact the environment. Climate change can result in warmer water temperatures, and it is believed that this is contributing to the rise of ciguatera fish poisoning, one of several sicknesses every traveler should know about before taking a Caribbean vacation. Ciguatera is not your run-of-the-mill food-borne illness.

Indeed, you can expect symptoms similar to those of regular food poisoning, such as diarrhea and vomiting. However, there are other alarming neurological manifestations that could indicate you have ciguatera. For instance, individuals who fall ill tend to perceive temperatures differently. That is to say that something that is actually cold will feel hot and vice versa. Other symptoms include itching, numbness in the extremities, even hallucinations, and more. According to a report published in the National Library of Medicine, up to 50,000 individuals suffer from ciguatera each year. What is the connection between climate change and this malady?

The link is dinoflagellates, ocean algae that produce ciguatoxin, a neurotoxin responsible for ciguatera. These are consumed by fish, and thus, unsuspecting human victims become ill after dining on a fish carrying ciguatoxin. Dinoflagellates flourish in the Caribbean's warm waters, and this is likely to be exacerbated by climate change (although humans can get sick from ciguatera, fish do not). That said, grouper, red snapper, and parrot fish, among many other species, are known to cause ciguatera. These fish are all eaten and sold in the Caribbean. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for ciguatera.

Be aware that once you've ingested a tropical fish that's contaminated, it can take anywhere between a couple of minutes and 30 hours for you to fall ill with ciguatera. However, a report published in the National Library of Medicine states that fewer than 1% of cases of this illness are fatal. Although there is no cure yet, that doesn't mean that individuals must suffer from ciguatera. Several medications are known to improve symptoms, including those that affect the neurological system. An example is gabapentin, which is commonly used to treat epilepsy.

All told, it can take up to a month or more to fully recover. However, once you're feeling better and are ready to leave ciguatera behind, you're not entirely out of the woods just yet. Distressingly, symptoms can reappear in less than a year if you consume fish, chicken, and alcohol (via Poison Control). Put simply, ciguatera can temporarily upend your life. What's even more distressing is that there's no way to know if the fish you are about to eat will make you sick, as ciguatoxin does not alter the aquatic creature's taste or appearance.

In any case, you should promptly seek medical help if you believe you have ciguatera, especially if you're in or have recently been to the Caribbean. While this ailment is associated with this region, ciguatera is also common in Hawaii, French Polynesia, and Florida, among other places. So, the next time you're at any of these destinations, strongly consider skipping out on the tropical fish and eating something else. If you found this story informative, you might be interested in reading about the popular Caribbean destination where food poisoning is common and the best things you can do if you have food poisoning on your flight.