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<\/p>\nSome food is better for us than others.<\/p>\n
It's no secret that certain meals come with risks, but this one is pretty big.<\/p>\n
The Thai dish is so bad for you that eating a single bite could lead to you developing liver cancer.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: You can make pumpkin spice latte at home \u2013 and it's cheaper than Starbucks<\/b><\/p>\n
The carcinogenic chow is so fatal it's thought to be the reason why a whooping 20,000 people die in Thailand every year.<\/p>\n
While you may not see it on the menu at your local Thai takeaway, the meal is super popular in the province of Khon Kaen.<\/p>\n
Its name is koi pla, and it's basically a plate full of minced raw fish that's ground up with herbs, spices and lemon juice.<\/p>\n
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The quirky dish is consumed by millions of Thai people, but it's super liked in one of the nation\u2019s poorest provinces \u2013 Isaan.<\/p>\n
And \u2013 t's not even the fish that causes cancer to develop. Instead, it's the parasitic flatworms, or live flukes, that live inside them.<\/p>\n
Parasites are native to fresh water fish in the Mekong region, and it's led to Isaan having the most known cases of cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, in the world as so many people like to feast on the raw fish dish. <\/p>\n
One doctor in Thailand, Narong Khuntikeo, is working to try and get less people to eat the delicacy following the loss of both his parents.<\/p>\n
They died from liver cancer after eating the popular dish.<\/p>\n
Liver surgeon Narong Khuntikeo told Agence France-Presse: "It\u2019s a very big health burden around here.<\/p>\n
"But nobody knows about this because they die quietly, like leaves falling from a tree."<\/p>\n
The disease, which has been dubbed a "silent killer", carries one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers if it's not treated urgently. <\/p>\n
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Khuntikeo has been working with scientists, doctors and anthropologists who have spent four years testing villagers in the area for the parasite.<\/p>\n
The team have been using ultrasound machines and urine testing kits, and discovered as much as 80% of people living in some communities had ingested the super dangerous parasite.<\/p>\n
Now the doctor is doing his best to educate people about the dangers of the koi pla dish.<\/p>\n
As well as this, local health officials have worked to develop a school curriculum to teach children about the risks of raw foods.<\/p>\n
Even though more people are starting to learn about the dangers, Khuntikeo admits the older generation have been tough to try and win around.<\/p>\n
The health professional continued: "They\u2019ll say: 'Oh well, there are many ways to die'," But I cannot accept this answer."<\/p>\n
The people who refuse to give up the dish claim that if they cook the fish \u2013 which works to kill the parasite effectively \u2013 then it leads to ruining the taste of the meal.<\/p>\n
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