Thailand's Raw Fish Habit Fuels Liver Cancer Surge

[snoop1130]

 

In Khon Kaen, Thailand, a tasty dish known as koi pla is linked to a surge in liver cancer cases. This local favorite combines raw fish with herbs and lime juice but harbors parasites with potentially deadly consequences.

 

Research reveals that up to 80% of some villagers have these parasites, which can cause chronic inflammation and liver cancer later in life. It's typically diagnosed in people over 50, often too late for effective treatment. Alarmingly, even young children are found with these parasites.

 

The late Dr. Narong Khanteekaew of Khon Kaen University dedicated his life to raising awareness of this health threat after his parents died from liver cancer linked to koi pla. He expressed the dire nature of the disease, describing how undetected cases silently claim lives.

 

 

Dr. Narong's efforts included collaborating with experts across fields to test and educate communities. He pioneered school programs to inform children about the risks of eating raw food. Despite this, changing long-held cooking habits proves challenging, especially among older generations who value the dish’s raw flavor.

 

Efforts continue to balance cultural traditions with modern health practices, understanding that while koi pla is delicious, the potential health cost is too high to ignore, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-02-18

 

 

[blaze master]

Won't stop them. 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Liver fluke.

 

That's something that Ivermectin actually can treat with proven effect.

[Krillin]

"Up to 80% of some villagers" have liver parasites? What in the world?

[Briggsy]

It is completely mind-blowing that after decades, yes decades, of awareness of this solid link, that the situation remains this bad. All you need to do is cook the fish. It is not hard. The alternative is liver (bile duct) cancer.

 

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

For those who were confused with my mention of liver fluke, here's a Wikipedia article that mentions the connection between Koi Pal, liver fluke and cancer: 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koi_(dish)#:~:text=Koi pla eaten in north,cholangiocarcinoma via liver fluke transmission.

 

And yes, Ivermectin is recognized as an effective treatment for liver fluke.

[Moonlover]

36 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

It is completely mind-blowing that after decades, yes decades, of awareness of this solid link, that the situation remains this bad. All you need to do is cook the fish. It is not hard. The alternative is liver (bile duct) cancer.

 

 

There are still old timers in the villages that believe that if they take a good slug of loa khao with their koi pla, they will kill off the parasites and so they won't come to any harm!

 

I've lost count of the number of deaths there have been in our village that have succumbed to liver/stomach/cancer issues that are, in reality death due to liver fluke.

 

And it's not as if they are not aware of the problem. There have been plenty of awareness campaigns and free screening programmes, but they tend not to respond until they begin to present symptoms. And by then it's usually too late.

[johng]

6 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

And yes, Ivermectin is recognized as an effective treatment for liver fluke.

 

“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Serious y’all. Stop It.”

remember that ?

 

well

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/27/health/fda-ivermectin-lawsuit/index.html

 

🤣  🤣  🤣

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, johng said:

1 hour ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

And yes, Ivermectin is recognized as an effective treatment for liver fluke.

 

1 hour ago, johng said:

 

“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Serious y’all. Stop It.”

remember that ?

 

well

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/27/health/fda-ivermectin-lawsuit/index.html

 

🤣  🤣  🤣

Yes, I raised my eyebrows at that comment too.

 

They do have effective treatment here as long as the infection is identified early enough. A drug called triclabendazole is usually prescribed here.

 

Ivermectin is prescribed for parasitic infections, but not liver fluke as far as I know.

[johng]

4 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Ivermectin is prescribed for parasitic infections, but not liver fluke as far as I know.

 

Liver fluke is not a parasite ?

Ivermectin seems to be quite a "wonder drug"

The CDC   tweet

“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Serious y’all. Stop It.”

was propaganda, disinformation the lawsuit made them retract  without fighting the suit.

[Moonlover]

17 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

Yes, I raised my eyebrows at that comment too.

 

They do have effective treatment here as long as the infection is identified early enough. A drug called triclabendazole is usually prescribed here.

 

Ivermectin is prescribed for parasitic infections, but not liver fluke as far as I know.

 

8 minutes ago, johng said:

 

Liver fluke is not a parasite ?

Ivermectin seems to be quite a "wonder drug"

The CDC   tweet

“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Serious y’all. Stop It.”

was propaganda, disinformation the lawsuit made them retract  without fighting the suit.

 

Ivermectin is used in the treatment of nematodes which are intestinal worm infections such as flatworm or eelworm.

 

Yes, liver fluke is a parasite but they are not nematodes , They are trematodes and call for different treatment. As I said, triclabendazole is often prescribed here.

 

[NorthernRyland]

Japanese are known for eating raw fish but don't this problem. Is just that they're eating fish raised in filthy ponds? I've biked past some fish/shrimp farms which are just brown nasty dirt pits and the stench is pungent but that doesn't seem to stop people from buying their products.