Public Health officials in Saraphi District, Chiang Mai Province, issued a public warning for villagers to cease consuming malaeng laay (“striped bugs”, scientific classification not provided), after a middle-aged man died after downing three of the bugs during a whiskey drinking session. News of the dying was reported by Taan Jongkham, headman of Tambon Chompoo Mu 9, on August 25. Gaen Thep-phanom, forty seven, and two pals were drinking whiskey at an area store within the early night of August 24 when a lady arrived and gave them a bag of the roasted insects, Taan mentioned. Villagers commonly choose the massive bugs and roast them in a pan before consuming them, often as an accompaniment to whiskey, he defined. “They are edible – I know as a end result of I even have eaten them myself,” mentioned the village headman. After a couple of hours, Gaen had eaten three of the bugs, savoring the bitter taste. His consuming buddies, less impressed with the flavour, consumed one apiece. After two or three hours, the 2 other males left for home, however K. Gaen stayed on, consuming on his own till about midnight. That’s when he started to get stomach pains – unhealthy ones. Steal heard his agonized groans and cries for assist coming from the shop’s toilet. Entering, he found K. Gaen ashen-faced, his innards in spasm. The store proprietor and another villagers rushed K. Gaen to nearby Banthi Hospital, however he was declared lifeless on arrival by docs; his coronary heart had stopped beating en route. An autopsy was performed on the his body and samples of the roasted bugs have been despatched to the lab on the provincial medical science center for evaluation. Village Headman Taan said that the opposite two males who had eaten one bug each additionally reported suffering from headache, stomach ache, intestinal spasm and vomiting. Zany , an official on the Saraphi District Public Health Office, said his company was working with native village heads to coach individuals about the dangers of snacking on poisonous bugs. He said that a survey of local residents indicated that people knew they were dangero