Raw fish in 7 species in Cambodia can cause human liver cancer: study

Cyclocheilichthys apogon

Cyclochelichthys enoplos

Cyclocheilichthys repasson

Puntius brevis

Hampala dispar

Barbonymus altus

Cirrhinus lobatus

 
28/02/2012
VietNamNet/Xinhuanet

Cambodia's health officials said Sunday that a study found that at least seven species of freshwater fishes in the country can cause human liver cancer when they have not been cooked well before eating.

Dr. Char Meng Chuor, director of the National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, said that the recent study was conducted by two Japanese scientists from Dokkyo University in cooperation with the center.

The seven species of the freshwater fishes are scientifically named Cyclocheilichthys apogon, a type of beardless barb; Cyclochelichthys enoplos, a ray-finned fish in the genus Cyclocheilichthys; Cyclocheilichthys repasson, a species of ray- finned fish in the genus Cyclocheilichthys; Puntius brevis, a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Puntius; Hampala dispar, a type of spotted Hampala barb, Barbonymus altus, a red-tail tinfoil barb; and Cirrhinus lobatus in a species of ray-finned fish. "Human liver fluke, a freshwater parasite endemic, is detected in these fishes and those parasitic flatworms can trigger human liver cancer by creating harmful cell mutations, causing tumor growth and stopping normal cell death," he said. "When a person eats the fish raw, or some Cambodians eat a delicacy of fermented fish, the parasitic flatworms will take up residence inside the liver,"he said. "However, we can prevent the disease easily by eating only well-cooked fish."

Muth Sinuon, head of the National Program for Helminthiasis ( macro parasitic disease of humans and animals) at National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control said that the liver cancer that is caused by eating those raw fish has not only happened in Cambodia, but also in Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, especially Thailand, because Thai people are keen to eat uncooked fish.

Rising danger in beauty salons

Cambodian women, as they seek beauty in a time of wealth, are putting themselves at risk with unskilled surgeons, doctors say. (31 March 2009)

In Beauty Salons, a Rising Danger

By Win Thida, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
31 March 2008

Srey Mom lies on a bed, covered in white tissue, in a room of a Phnom Penh cosmetic salon. The 50-year-old keeps still, as a beautician anesthetizes old tattoo marks under both eyebrows. And then the beautician begins her work, with an electric tattoo gun, its sharp needle darting.

The needle quickly pricks the skin, and small droplets of blood arise from the brows. Tears fall as Srey Mom struggles to remain patient.

This is just one example of procedures undertaken by more Cambodian women, as they seek beauty in a time of wealth.

Such procedures, including cosmetic surgery and breast enhancements, have especially come in vogue over the past year. But they are not always safe, health officials say.

"Because I want to be beautiful, and because I'm getting older," Srey Mom gives as explanation, once the procedure is done. "My eyes were drooping, so I wanted to have an operation. And my natural nose was too big. And I want these to be more beautiful."

Srey Mom, who comes from Siem Reap, says she has had to run from one salon to another, because the first two did a bad job. This is her third attempt.

Some salon owners see these operations as a sign of Cambodia's emergence into the modern world. But such practices by unskilled beauticians can be dangerous, health officials say.

Sunn Sary, a doctor and head of the department of hospitals at the Ministry of Health, said recently more and more salons have opened in Cambodia, though the ministry does not keep a registry.

Only some of these shops have trained beauticians or surgeons, and unskilled operations can lead to long-term problems, he said, including cancer.

The Ministry of Health, meanwhile, is seeking to get a better handle on the practice and will begin enforcing restrictions on salons by the end of 2008.

"People don't have enough awareness about beautification, and they don't learn about the dangers of the practice," Sunn Sary said. "These people cannot see the danger of the present moment, so they are eager to follow, one person after the other. But the consequence is in the future."