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SCMP Reporter

Eating raw fish poses a major health problem to 40 million people around the world, who become infected by parasitic worms in the food, according to scientists at a UN-sponsored conference in Hanoi yesterday.

The experts called on Asian governments to give higher priority to tackling the high rate of worm infections in people who eat raw fish. Repeated infestations can cause lung disease and liver cancer.

Food-borne parasitic worms called trematodes begin their journey in snails, and move on to fish. Farmers put them back into the food chain when human faeces are fed into fishponds.

In China, about 10 million people are believed to be infected by the worms, said Professor Feng Zheng of the Institute of Parasitic Diseases in Shanghai.

'People like to eat raw fish in slices or raw fish porridge,' he said. 'In certain provinces, that's a fashion. People also have to provide raw fish for guests and at celebrations. If a guest comes to the house and they don't have raw fish as a dish, they would be very embarrassed.'

Professor Feng said the public was aware of the danger, but added that the simplicity of the problem made it hard to tackle. Without active programmes to control and prevent worms, the high rate of infection would continue.

While people in China know there is a drug to kill the worms, many cannot afford it.

The treatment involves a simple pill taken once a year, which costs less than 20 US cents (HK$1.60). But the doses required are beyond the reach of many poor countries.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has tackled the trematodes problem as part of its efforts to reduce poverty and ensure food supplies for the poor.

The UN warned that if left unchecked, the problem of worm infections could threaten development.

It could also undermine aquaculture, a major industry in Asia and one of the world's fastest-growing food production systems.

The UN estimates that 90 per cent of world aquaculture production is based in Asia.

Dr Larsen Ababouch from the FAO's Fisheries Department said that while governments and some producers were aware of the problem of parasitic infections, much more scientific research was needed on the life cycle of the worms.

'Habits of eating raw fish as well as poor hygiene requires inputs from different institutions to ensure increasing awareness among producers and the aquaculture industry,' Dr Ababouch said.

Professor Feng said the growth of fish farming, particularly in southern China, meant that the country was affected by the problem.

The three-day workshop in Hanoi aims to come up with some practical ways to improve diagnosis and treatment of parasitic infections. Participants also hope to get governments and international donors to pay greater attention to the problem.

Scientists said the solutions would eventually come down to funding and the availability of cheap, effective drugs. They said governments must give greater priority to the prevention and treatment of trematode infections to end years of neglect.



Experts say a parasite threatens 40 million consumers of raw fish