The Minister of Public Health explained that liver fluke infection screening among 4,000 Mahasarakham University students was done using urine testing, but confirmation requires stool examination for parasite eggs. He advised eating cooked food to reduce risk and noted that bile duct cancer cases in Thailand remain high.
At 09:15 on 7 July 2026 at the Government House, Mr. Patthana Promphat, Minister of Public Health, addressed the case of 4,233 Mahasarakham University students infected with liver fluke due to eating raw fermented fish salad. He explained that the traditional method involves stool examination to detect parasite eggs, but a newer method developed in recent years, similar to an antigen test kit (ATK), uses urine samples for faster detection than stool egg identification. He noted that bile duct cancer remains relatively high in Thailand and has not declined as expected, necessitating broader screening. However, urine testing must still be confirmed by stool examination to be certain the liver fluke is present in the body.
Mr. Patthana added that earlier this morning, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health held a planning meeting and instructed the Mahasarakham Provincial Public Health Office to campaign for eating cooked food and avoiding raw dishes. While respecting the tradition of eating raw food, he urged caution to consume food from trusted sources and to prefer cooked food.