WHAT 2019 MEANT TO YOUR BODY
The year’s hot topics of discussion on public health in Thailand during the past year
E-CIGARETTE DEBATE FAR FROM OVER
After more than 2,500 people in the United States were hospitalised following a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, with a total death toll of 54 as of now, Thailand was recently reported to have seen the first person falling victim to acute lung inflammation and failure of the respiratory system following his e-cigarette use. The 48-year-old patient reportedly used his electronic smoking device with cannabis liquid substance.
Having been outlawed in Thailand since 2014, e-cigarettes have returned to the public-health spotlight just recently after Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul posted an online message saying e-cigarettes are a silent killer. He also urged the authorities to take law-implementation more seriously and said that people working in the Ministry of Public Health should act as role models.
Following years of controversy and debate over the benefits and harm of the smoking devices, in August the government made an announcement that the ban on e-cigarettes would stay in place. Public opinion was split. While various organisations, including the Thailand Youth Institute and the Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Centre, applauded Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul for the decision, others, including a network called End Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST), ended up in disappointment.
KOMBUCHA AND CELERY JUICE: AN ELIXIR FOR LIFE?
Thailand is a nation that easily embraces health trends from abroad. Whatever people internationally say is good, Thais are ready to give it a try.
Kombucha and celery juice are no exceptions. Kombucha — fermented tea — was predicted by The New York Times to be a food trend of 2019, and it came true. In Thailand, kombucha has taken the country by storm. Online communities have been set up and started mushrooming to exchange ideas and even “scoby” — slimy, rubbery kombucha starter culture — among brewers. Kombucha even made its way into the country’s gastronomic circle, where chefs and mixologists incorporated the beverage into their menus served at many fine-dining eateries. At times, kombucha is a star in beauty merchandise.
And why is it so popular? Many think of kombucha as a drink with medical benefits, improving gut health and reducing risks of heart disease to provide antioxidants, keeping diabetes at bay, helping with weight loss and even shielding against cancer.
As for celery juice, although the drink has been a craze in the United States before, it started to gain momentum in Thailand this year, after various celebrities, including Pharrell Williams, Selma Blair, Jenna Dewan and Kim Kardashian, showed themselves true fans of the green drink.
In Thailand, various YouTubers and health influencers have spread the word, unveiling miracle celery juice recipes and formulas that claim to confer a number of health benefits, especially weight loss and anti-inflammation. The drink has become so popular, it has a hashtag of its own: #CeleryJuiceChallenge.
THE RETURN OF SYPHILIS
This story was told in May by a Thai gynaecologist who operates the Facebook page Rueng Lao Jak Rong Mor (Hospital Slate): A 15-year-old girl is pregnant with twins. Her partner is also 15. Set aside the concern that the couple are too young to start a family; the teen mum also has syphilis.
Following the story, Bangrak STIs Centre — a sexually-transmitted-infection clinic operated under the Department of Disease Control, the Ministry of Public Health — reported a staggering increase in the number of syphilis cases through its Facebook page, which has sparked public anxiety because the rising statistics see the young generation as the largest part of the pie.
And this is not just public paranoia. Based on Bangrak STIs Centre’s figures, syphilis cases have reportedly increased significantly during the past four years. Per 100,000 members of the population, only around 2-3 infected cases were reported in 2009. Fast-forward to 2018, when Thailand saw almost 12 syphilis patients per 100,000.
SPOILED PHALO EGGS AS SCHOOL LUNCH
Substandard school lunches for children and general mismanagement have been reported all through the year. Perhaps the most notorious case would be that of spoiled phalo eggs and fried chicken with rice, which took place in August. In July also, at least four schools in Nakhon Ratchasima province were reportedly found by the local National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to have served students substandard lunches. In April, a school director in Chon Buri province was accused of inflating the number of students in the school’s lunch programme to pocket more state subsidies.
In May, the director of Ban Tha Mai School in Surat Thani province was dismissed from the job following a school lunch scandal the previous year, wherein students were seen being served khanom jeen (fermented rice noodles) with sprinkles of fish sauce for school lunch. Following complaints by parents filed through the local education office, an investigation found that the school director committed a serious disciplinary violation for allowing low-nutrition meals under the state-run free-lunch programme.
This school-lunch saga is not just about the country’s bureaucratic-corruption issue. Clearly, it’s also a huge public-health concern with regard to the adequate nutrition students are supposed to receive.
SICKLY SWEET
While bubble tea is all the rage here, this news was a total shock for Thais with a sweet tooth — the Foundation for Consumers in July revealed a long list of local pearl milk-tea brands which served drinks that contained more than the World Health Organization (WHO)’s recommended sugar level.
Of the 25 brands that were put to the test, 23 were found to be serving beverages that exceeded the threshold. All 25 brands underwent laboratory testing for calories and preservatives like sorbic acid and benzoic acid. The worst offender contained a staggering 18.5 teaspoons of sugar — more than three days’ worth in one go.
This news indeed serves as a wake-up call for Thais, because despite several health campaigns encouraging people to cut their sugar intake, the average Thai is currently consuming around 28 teaspoons of sugar per day — more than four times the WHO’s recommended 6 teaspoons.
WE’LL BE EATING POISONS FOR A WHILE LONGER
After long fights between those who support the ban on the herbicides paraquat and glyphosate, and the pesticide chlorpyrifos, and those who are against it, last month the National Hazardous Substances Committee (NHSC) decided to postpone a ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos for six months while restricting the use of glyphosate. This decision sparked uproar from consumers and health advocates.
The NHSC move came despite its earlier decision on Oct 22 to ban paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, effective Dec 1. The substances were to be upgraded from Type 3 toxic substances to Type 4, which prohibit their production, import, export or possession.
BioThai, an anti-farm-chemical pressure group which has been campaigning for the ban, said the decision to derail the ban was the result of a joint effort by a Thai animal-feed producer, a group of herbicide producers, and two political parties in collusion with US entities.
TAX ON SODIUM
The country has implemented a tax on beverages with high sugar content. Now let’s move on to a new tax on salt.
As part of ongoing efforts to promote the consumption of healthy food and cut the amount of sodium in diets, the Excise Department announced in October that it is inching towards the introduction of new taxes on salty, processed food. While details are now being sorted out through discussions with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other relevant parties, it is expected that the tax conditions will be finalised soon.
According to the Excise Department, the new tax on salty foods will work in a straightforward manner — the higher the sodium content, the higher the tax. The new tax policy will target instant noodles, frozen products and canned foods. Seasoning and condiments such as fish sauce, soy sauce and salt will be exempt. Manufacturers are expected to get a reprieve of one to two years to give them time to adjust and reduce the amount of sodium in their products.
And for the record, the average Thai consumes 4,2004,300mg of sodium on a daily basis — around 2.2 times the WHO’s threshold.