Northeastern Thais Found With World's Highest Rate Of Liver And Bile Duct Cancer

[galvheim]

I have now found a medicine that is specific to this particular liver flukes (Opisthorchis viverrini)

It was found in a normal pharmacy in Pattaya, and the product is called "San San" (by T.MAN PHARMA CO.LTD). The dosage for killing this paracite is 2 doses of 400 mg., morning and evening for 3 days. One pack is 2 tablets of 200 mg. each, so all together it will be 6 packs. One pack iis typically sold for 30 THB, so a cure will cost you 180 THB.

The active ingredient is called "Albendazole".

[farang000999]

i eat sum tum boo plarar several times a week. if it kills me so be it. it is one of the best things about thailand.

[Obb]

I have now found a medicine that is specific to this particular liver flukes (Opisthorchis viverrini)

It was found in a normal pharmacy in Pattaya, and the product is called "San San" (by T.MAN PHARMA CO.LTD). The dosage for killing this paracite is 2 doses of 400 mg., morning and evening for 3 days. One pack is 2 tablets of 200 mg. each, so all together it will be 6 packs. One pack iis typically sold for 30 THB, so a cure will cost you 180 THB.

The active ingredient is called "Albendazole".

Suggest readers take this info - as all info on Thai Visa - with a grain of salt. And do their own research.

Praziquantel - NOT Albendazole - is the drug for these liver flukes and it is available in Thailand from several manufacturers.

25 mg/kg three times in one day, 4 - 6 hours apart, taken with food. Drugs.com, and others.

Edited January 11, 2013 by Obb

[SantiSuk]

I have now found a medicine that is specific to this particular liver flukes (Opisthorchis viverrini)

It was found in a normal pharmacy in Pattaya, and the product is called "San San" (by T.MAN PHARMA CO.LTD). The dosage for killing this paracite is 2 doses of 400 mg., morning and evening for 3 days. One pack is 2 tablets of 200 mg. each, so all together it will be 6 packs. One pack iis typically sold for 30 THB, so a cure will cost you 180 THB.

The active ingredient is called "Albendazole".

Suggest readers take this info - as all info on Thai Visa - with a grain of salt. And do their own research.

Praziquantel - NOT Albendazole - is the drug for these liver flukes and it is available in Thailand from several manufacturers.

25 mg/kg three times in one day, 4 - 6 hours apart, taken with food. Drugs.com, and others.

Agreed - that's what the London Hospital for Tropical diseases told me and St Jimmy's in Leeds gave me and that was confirmed as the appropriate treatment by a doctor at Ubon Rak hospital who told me much more about the disease and its largely unpublicised endemic nature in Isaan and who did my follow-up testing. It also worked quickly.

But - you wouldn't want to self-treat yourself for this even using my experience. Who knows what advances have been made in three years since I was treated and who knows whether Wikipedia is up to date.

Times since I had the parasyte I have obviously been careful to raise the subject of oppisthorcis viverrini if I have ever have syptoms including a fever. I always get the answer, have you lost weight? No. Then it's not a recurrence.

So Issan chaps, its worth raising with your doctor if you lose weight for no apparent reason and are feeling under the weather.

[Obb]

I have now found a medicine that is specific to this particular liver flukes (Opisthorchis viverrini)

It was found in a normal pharmacy in Pattaya, and the product is called "San San" (by T.MAN PHARMA CO.LTD). The dosage for killing this paracite is 2 doses of 400 mg., morning and evening for 3 days. One pack is 2 tablets of 200 mg. each, so all together it will be 6 packs. One pack iis typically sold for 30 THB, so a cure will cost you 180 THB.

The active ingredient is called "Albendazole".

Suggest readers take this info - as all info on Thai Visa - with a grain of salt. And do their own research.

Praziquantel - NOT Albendazole - is the drug for these liver flukes and it is available in Thailand from several manufacturers.

25 mg/kg three times in one day, 4 - 6 hours apart, taken with food. Drugs.com, and others.

Agreed - that's what the London Hospital for Tropical diseases told me and St Jimmy's in Leeds gave me and that was confirmed as the appropriate treatment by a doctor at Ubon Rak hospital who told me much more about the disease and its largely unpublicised endemic nature in Isaan and who did my follow-up testing. It also worked quickly.

But - you wouldn't want to self-treat yourself for this even using my experience. Who knows what advances have been made in three years since I was treated and who knows whether Wikipedia is up to date.

Times since I had the parasyte I have obviously been careful to raise the subject of oppisthorcis viverrini if I have ever have syptoms including a fever. I always get the answer, have you lost weight? No. Then it's not a recurrence.

So Issan chaps, its worth raising with your doctor if you lose weight for no apparent reason and are feeling under the weather.

No No No! Don't wait for "weight loss", a symptom of long-standing infection and/or liver cancer. (And don't, for God's sake, rely on Wikipedia!)

http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx/HTML/Opisthorchiasis.htm, and others.

[SantiSuk]

Goes without saying that you shouldnt eat dishes that have raw river/lake fish in them, including somtam palaar.

[krisb]

Don't eat Som Tam (Palaar version) or Laarp Bplaa

What do these actually look like?

If you have been living in Issan and don't know what somtam looks like......you are a better man than me.

Somtam Pla ra

Somtam Thai is without the dreaded Pla ra and is lighter in colour!

Laarb pla minced up fish cooked/uncooked with palaa fish guts sauce...sep der!!!

Thats bpon plaa original name. Now everyone calls it laab.(bottom pic) Edited January 18, 2013 by krisb

[krisb]

I would have thought it's got more to do with excessive alcohol consumption and fatty foods.

No Id put money on badek before booze. What fatty food in Issan is there? I cant think of any Edited January 18, 2013 by krisb

[DerkMR]

No Id put money on badek before booze. What fatty food in Issan is there? I cant think of any

A lot of deep fried stuff and they also really like fat e.g. slices of pork with 75% fat deep fried.

Bye,

Derk

[KevyChase]

Or it Yaa Dong ?

[Card]

I would have thought it's got more to do with excessive alcohol consumption and fatty foods.

So they have the same rates in Russia do they?

[Cuban]

A main factor contributing to liver and bile duct cancer is the consumption of partially-cooked fish with scales.

As ever with Thai-news stories word for word translations fail to translate meaning.

Does this mean consumption of partially-cooked fish without scales is OK?

Is this a function of the type of fish etc etc....

As mentioned above in other posts the liver fluke transferred by the consumption of freshwater fish is a factor along with high salt and consumption of alcohol and spicy-hot food all have an impact on the internal organs like the liver that deals with the brunt of metabolising food components.

The big issue with Pla-Raa (home fermented fish sauce) is that it is often not allowed to ferment for long enough before use.

It must must must be allowed to stand for at least 18 months to be "safe" and then before use cooked.

Many market sellers do not plan 18 months in advance so there is plenty that eat quickly produced Pla-Raa that carries flukes.

The fresh fish farmed around Khon Kaen and to the East are particularly prone to flukes.

On the general cancer issue, lung cancers and respiratory illnesses in Thailand is a major factor for those living downwind of the key industrial areas.

Interesting top ten killers:

1. Stroke

2. Coronary Heart Disease

3. Diabetes Mellitus

4. Lung Disease

5. Road Traffic Accidents

6. Influenza & Pneumonia

7. HIV/AIDS

8. Liver Disease

9. Kidney Disease

10. Liver Cancer

Source.

For poor Thais if your lifestyle doesn't kill you the environment will.

[bunnydrops]

In the NW USA, you have to be careful not to let your dogs eat raw salmon. They get flukes from eating it and die rather quickly. I have never heard of people eating raw salmon in sushi getting flukes. I would guess that the flukes are not in the flesh but as said in the scales or entrails. I don't think it mattered if the salmon was caught in fresh or salt water but that may have been a factor.

[Cuban]

I have never heard of people eating raw salmon in sushi getting flukes.

The fish consumed as part of Sushi is generally cooked.

Raw fish is called Sashimi and is generally salt-water fish.

Salmon live both sides of the fence - IME it is generally cooked by smoking before consumption as Sushi.