High school student dies after eating Som Tam (Papaya Salad)

[webfact]

High school student dies after eating Som Tam (Papaya Salad)

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Daily News reported that a 16 year old girl in the north east of Thailand had left her family devastated after she died - apparently from eating som tam - one of the nation's favorite dishes also known as papaya salad. 

 

Nong Fon, a M4 pupil, had eaten the som tam on August 24th after her mother Khajorn Atsiangram, 56, bought it for her at the end of the soi. 

 

Next day she took medication for stomach pains and seemed to improve. 

 

But on the 26th things took a serious turn for the worse and an ambulance was called to take her to hospital. 

 

She passed out in the ambulance and despite CPR and the best attention of medics she was dead on arrival at Soon Buriram Hospital. 

 

Doctors have blamed a serious bug in her digestive system. 

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Daily News published pictures of classmates at her funeral rites. 

 

Their headline and story contained sensational wording such as "som tam of death" and "taste of death" referencing the dialectic word "saeb" for delicious.

 

Source: Daily News

 

 

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[canuckamuck]

Is that the medical opinion? A serious bug. Too bad we have no idea what that means. 

[kellersphuket]

It doesn't surprise me at all,

that stuff is dangerous!

 

I tried it once in Chiang Mai and ended up in hospital on a drip after vomiting repeatedly for days on end.

 

I'll stick to my pepperoni pizza thanks!

[tifino]

 

to anyone coming from 'other' regions than the East North...  

they wouldn't necessaarily agree that som tam (Esarn) is (their) National Dish

 

eating pickled live bait isn't that popular, away from the East North

[JoePai]

1 hour ago, tifino said:

 

to anyone coming from 'other' regions than the East North...  

they wouldn't necessaarily agree that som tam (Esarn) is (their) National Dish

 

eating pickled live bait isn't that popular, away from the East North

Just goes to show what they are missing out on  ????

[daiwill60]

My missus does a great Som Tam, but it never ceases to amaze me how they can use fermented fish, raw crabs and prawns in its preparation.  Just asking for trouble, surely. 

[Skytrain2hell]

1 hour ago, kellersphuket said:

It doesn't surprise me at all,

that stuff is dangerous!

 

I tried it once in Chiang Mai and ended up in hospital on a drip after vomiting repeatedly for days on end.

 

I'll stick to my pepperoni pizza thanks!

 

Choose your poison...

[puchooay]

A serious case of under reporting here.

 

The girl was a student at the same school as my daughter. My daughter knew her well.

 

She had been troubled with a stomach ailment for sometime. A medical condition rather than something caused by food. In fact her Father died only 6 months ago from the same condition.

[Beggar]

4 minutes ago, puchooay said:

A serious case of under reporting here.

 

The girl was a student at the same school as my daughter. My daughter knew her well.

 

She had been troubled with a stomach ailment for sometime. A medical condition rather than something caused by food. In fact her Father died only 6 months ago from the same condition.

This is strange that her father died from the same condition. Perhaps they both ate the papaya salad for a while and at one time it was contaminated with something at a too high level. Or perhaps it was not the papaya salad. Could also be any other food or drink they both liked to consume. What did the autopsy reveal in both cases? Only that they died? 

[KhunBENQ]

26 minutes ago, puchooay said:

A serious case of under reporting here.

 

The girl was a student at the same school as my daughter. My daughter knew her well.

 

She had been troubled with a stomach ailment for sometime. A medical condition rather than something caused by food. In fact her Father died only 6 months ago from the same condition.

Good point. I was wondering why only she was hit from that somtam.

And if I understand the Thai article correct it also says that she died from an infection unrelated to the incident (eating that somtam).

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Doctors have blamed a serious bug in her digestive system.

Whether "bug" is a good translation...

 

[KhunBENQ]

2 hours ago, tifino said:

 

to anyone coming from 'other' regions than the East North...  

they wouldn't necessaarily agree that som tam (Esarn) is (their) National Dish

 

eating pickled live bait isn't that popular, away from the East North

somtam literally just says pounded pickles/sour.

It comes in different variations although papaya is kind of a must have.

I can not eat "somtam lao" (Isan) with fermented fish and crab.

"somtam thai" is OK.

[NCC1701A]

wait what about the two Australians who said their whole lives were destroyed by eating papaya salad?

 

[sammieuk1]

The doctors must have a translational issue with botulism and the best they could come up with is bug ???? 

[RichardColeman]

Som Tam to me looks like something scrapped up off a market floor when all the stall holders have gone home and the way the wife sits on the loo most of the next day, I'm guessing its about the same health risk too

[RotBenz8888]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Nong Fon, a M4 pupil, had eaten the som tam on August 24th after her mother Khajorn Atsiangram, 56, bought it for her at the end of the soi. 

 

Next day she took medication for stomach pains and seemed to improve. 

So how do they know it was that som tam? Just guessing and leave it there?

[puchooay]

10 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

wait what about the two Australians who said their whole lives were destroyed by eating papaya salad?

 

That was PadThai. Not somtam.

[KKr]

54 minutes ago, puchooay said:

A serious case of under reporting here.

 

The girl was a student at the same school as my daughter. My daughter knew her well.

 

She had been troubled with a stomach ailment for sometime. A medical condition rather than something caused by food. In fact her Father died only 6 months ago from the same condition.

thank you for adding a factual comment !
(could be many things then, water supply, pesticides, TV probably will never know and I wonder if we need to.)

May she be in a better place now.

[Isaanbiker]

Doctors have blamed a serious bug in her digestive system. 

 

It's not news that Somtham Lao style is very dangerous and can infect parts of the spine.

 

   Here's an old thread from 2015:

 

   

 

 

  

[bluesofa]

27 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

wait what about the two Australians who said their whole lives were destroyed by eating papaya salad?

 

They had pad Thai, not life-threatening som tam.

[Tayaout]

Somtam Poupala PetPet is delicious. Well worth risking one's life. 

[giddyup]

My partner makes a delicious Som Tam, but leaves out all the nasty stuff like pickled fish and crabs.

[from the home of CC]

3 hours ago, kellersphuket said:

It doesn't surprise me at all,

that stuff is dangerous!

 

I tried it once in Chiang Mai and ended up in hospital on a drip after vomiting repeatedly for days on end.

 

I'll stick to my pepperoni pizza thanks!

if I had that outlook I'd of stayed in pizza land...

[timendres]

25 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

Doctors have blamed a serious bug in her digestive system. 

 

It's not news that Somtham Lao style is very dangerous and can infect parts of the spine.

 

   Here's an old thread from 2015:

Somtham does not infect any part of the body. Bacteria do. Hence Somtham is only as dangerous as the preparation is dangerous. I assure you I can make any food dangerous. What you mean to say is that, due to it being a fresh, uncooked dish, Somtham must be prepared properly, or it can harbor dangerous bacteria.

[dddave]

It is not unknown for some Thais in Isan to gather dead crabs from irrigation ditches after pesticide has been applied and eat them. If that was the case here, that would explain a long term and fatal cumulative effect.

I remember a sad case more than ten years ago when a 21 year old, first time Swedish tourist shared Som Tam Poo with some Isan girls he had met. He went into convulsions within an hour and died soon after.  The girls were mildly ill.  The toxins in shellfish poisoning can be really nasty though those who are exposed to small amounts over a period of time can develop an immunity which was apparently why the girls were OK.    

[spidermike007]

They use alot of fish, shrimp and crab products, which sit out in the baking sun for days, if not weeks on end. Plus, there are fermented products added, as well as crazy stuff like "10,000 year old eggs", tons of MSG, and alot of other bizarre ingredients. I hear alot of people get massive worms from Som Tom. One needs to exercise some care when eating it, and know who is making it. The gal on the corner might not be a trusted source of fresh food products! 

 

Also, it does sound like it might be a case of seriously incompetent doctors being involved. More than likely this was at least partly caused by a prior condition, or existing ailment she already had. 

[KhunBENQ]

49 minutes ago, puchooay said:

That was PadThai. Not somtam.

Many options to catch food poisoning.

Best chances: sea food and raw meat

 

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, daiwill60 said:

My missus does a great Som Tam, but it never ceases to amaze me how they can use fermented fish, raw crabs and prawns in its preparation.  Just asking for trouble, surely. 

Yes they are.

 

And don't call me Shirley.

[Vacuum]

11 minutes ago, timendres said:

Somtham does not infect any part of the body. Bacteria do. Hence Somtham is only as dangerous as the preparation is dangerous.

It's the use of pla raa in (mostly) Isaarn, which will give you 'problems' with your liver. It'll take long time, but eventually... Do a searh (preferably not with google).

[kellersphuket]

22 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

if I had that outlook I'd of stayed in pizza land...

I'm not from Italy, fratello.

[NanLaew]

36 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

Somtam Poupala PetPet is delicious. Well worth risking one's life. 

It's quite vile and there's no earthly need for foreigners to stoop to these ridiculous culinary depths just so they can show they're trying to assimilate here.

 

Regular somtam is good, clean and healthy enough.