Man claims he ended up in ICU after eating hairy crabs from the river, warns others not to do the same

SINGAPORE: In a Facebook post last week, a user on the platform claimed that he had such a bad reaction to eating hairy crabs in Singapore that he ended up at a hospital’s intensive care unit.

The post was published on Dec 24 on a Facebook account called 明天会更好, or Tomorrow Will Be Better, which is all about people’s stories concerning various health issues, and where posts are written in Chinese.

In it, the post author alleged that he had eaten four or five hairy crabs “from the river” three days before, which he had cooked himself. Unfortunately, he had troubles with his digestion after eating the crabs, and on the third day after he had them, he started vomiting repeatedly to the point that his eyes hurt from the pressure of having thrown up.

[caption id="attachment_714239" align="aligncenter" width="1508"] Hairy crab (Chinese mitten crab) / Photo credit: J Patrick Fischer[/caption]

Although he initially thought that he was just suffering from a bout of “ordinary gastroenteritis,” in addition to vomiting, he also could not rest well, had an intense headache, and could not keep anything down, even water. He wrote in his post that as soon as he got out of bed, he would start vomiting.

Realising that his condition could develop into something serious, perhaps even life-threatening, he called his friend, who brought him to the emergency department of Sengkang General Hospital, where he said he was given priority.

“The situation was so urgent that I was sent to the intensive care unit,” he added.

Once there, he was given medication intravenously, and his blood pressure was constantly monitored. A total of five doctors managed his case. He then began to improve and was later able to eat the healthy meals he was served.

At the time of the post, he was still in the hospital but hoped to be discharged by the next day

Expressing his gratefulness for the excellent care he received at the hospital, he added, “I remind everyone not to eat anything in the river.”

Hairy crabs

While considered a pest in other parts around the globe, hair crabs, or Chinese mitten crabs, are a delicacy in many countries in Asia, where they are usually enjoyed during the autumn months due to their sweet flesh and creamy roe.

In Singapore, hairy crabs are usually in season in November, though this can extend to December.

In February 2020, the Singapore Food Agency issued an advisory on hairy crabs, which included a list of safety tips so that the delicacy can be enjoyed safely. /TISG

Read also: Famous seafood restaurant caught cutting crabs on a rag, raising hygiene concerns