Bridie Pearson-Jones
indy100
Koi pla is a popular dish in Thailand, especially in one of it's poorest regions, Issan. It's made from ground raw fish mixed with spices and lime.
It's thought to kill 20,000 people a year.
After losing both his parents to liver cancer, Narong Khuntikeo, a doctor in Thailand has started a campaign to raise awareness and prevent locals from eating a potentially deadly dish.
He's organising groups of doctors and scientists to visit parts of Thailand where the disease is prevalent to take urine samples. They will also bring ultrasound machines to test for the cancer.
The danger isn't in the fish itself but liver flukes, the parasitic flatworms which often live inside the fish.
In Isaan, where the dish is particularly popular, the liver cancer makes up 50 per cent of cancers diagnosed to men. The global average for live cancer is only 10 per cent.
Issan has the highest rate of cholangiocarcinoma, a form of liver cancer with one of the lowest survival rates, in the world.
Khuntikeo, told AFP:
"It’s a very big health burden around here.
But nobody knows about this because they die quietly, like leaves falling from a tree."
