Thai officials face ban on eating raw fish

THAILAND - Public Health deputy minister Surawit Khonsomboon yesterday backed the idea of prohibiting state officials from eating raw fish and raw fermented fish, saying they would face a disciplinary punishment for doing this.

Surawit, who was checking Nong Bua Lampu's campaign against Opisthorchiasis and Cholangiocarcinoma, praised the provincial policy to implement this food ban.

Local officials have asked 600 somtam shops to serve only cooked fermented fish and have banned officials from eating raw fish - or they would face punishment. This was done to set a good example to the public.

Authorities urged people to stop eating raw fish and raw fermented fish, but Surawit said people weren't scared of Opisthorchiasis as they could take medicine to kill the parasite. But taking such pills too many times could cause Cholangio-carcinoma, he said.

Each year 10,000 Isaan people die from Cholangiocarcinoma, he said.