Re: "Give him a break", (PostBag, July 16) & "PM vows to boost Malaysia ties", (BP, July 10).
Unlike T Turveydrop, who defended Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's first 100 days by blaming his difficulties largely on an unfavourable environment, I judge him by his attitude and sincerity.
To me, he has shown himself to be a prime minister who has faced the country's challenges without pretence, appearing alongside ordinary people in times of difficulty. His public diplomacy with foreign leaders has also been impressive.
One memorable moment was his saxophone performance of My Way for the visiting Malaysian prime minister. It was heartfelt and inviting, and Frank Sinatra himself might have appreciated the rendition.
I wish Prime Minister Anutin every success. Having enjoyed both family wealth and business success, he should have no temptation to engage in corruption. In the end, remaining incorruptible is worth far more than accumulating even greater wealth.
One also hopes that, like American philanthropists Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and MacKenzie Scott, he will one day find satisfaction in giving back to society.
Songdej Praditsmanont
Kudos for fluke test
Re: "Stool tests planned after liver fluke screenings" (BP, July 8).
The report that large numbers of university students in Maha Sarakham tested positive in a urine antigen test (OV-UAT) for liver fluke infection is understandably alarming, particularly to readers unfamiliar with this neglected tropical disease. Infection with Opisthorchis viverrini is one of the principal risk factors for bile duct cancer, which remains disproportionately common in northeastern Thailand.
Researchers at Khon Kaen University deserve recognition for developing the OV-UAT, a simple, rapid and relatively inexpensive screening test with reported sensitivity and specificity exceeding 90%.
It can be completed in about 15 minutes and has made large-scale community screening feasible. Previous field surveys in several northeastern provinces suggested that about one-third of those screened were OV-UAT positive. Although a positive screening result does not necessarily indicate active infection, such findings clearly warrant serious public health attention.
The current investigation is therefore especially important. As reported, students with positive OV-UAT results will undergo confirmatory stool examination using specialised parasitological techniques. Those with confirmed infection will then receive appropriate antiparasitic treatment. The findings may help answer two important questions.
First, they will provide valuable real-world evidence on how well the OV-UAT performs outside controlled research settings. If its correlation with stool-confirmed infection proves sufficiently strong, health authorities may eventually be able to refine future screening strategies and determine when confirmatory stool examination is truly necessary.
Second, liver fluke infection has long been linked to the consumption of raw or inadequately cooked freshwater fish, a practice associated with several traditional local dishes. Public education campaigns have promoted safer eating habits for well over a decade. If confirmed infection rates remain unacceptably high despite these sustained efforts, it may be time to ask whether education alone is sufficient.
Stronger public health measures, including appropriate regulation of high-risk food preparation and sale, should at least become part of the national discussion alongside continued community education.
I await the confirmatory results with great interest and concern. They will not only reveal the true burden of liver fluke infection but may also help shape the next phase of Thailand's campaign against one of the country's most preventable cancers.
Borvornchai Chirachon
