PHUKET, July 11 – The Phuket provincial health office is probing an Australian couple’s claim that they fell seriously ill after eating Pad Thai fried noodle in the province. 

The office chief doubts the claim, saying the food is cooked at high temperature.

Daily Mail newspaper website reported that Stacey Barnes and Ryan Prigg of Perth were severely ill after they and their children visited Thailand in 2017. They were exhausted and bed-ridden for days. Later they were diagnosed with having a parasite called Dientamoeba Fragilis after eating Pad Thai fried rice noodle at a food court in Phuket. They had taken antibiotics for about four weeks and their health and beauty business nearly collapsed.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered an investigation into the issue. Dr Thanis Sermkaew, chief of the Phuket health office, said local health officials were conducting the investigation and collecting information that might concern the matter.

Normally Pad Thai was cooked at high temperature and the parasite could not survive such heat, he said.

He assured that local health officials were implementing food hygiene measures strictly.

Dientamoeba Fragilis can cause diarrhea and exhaustion. It lives in human colons and some people do not have any symptom. 

Source: TNA