Phrae Cracks Down on Raw Pork as Disease Deaths Mount
Phrae province is cracking down on raw pork consumption after recording 37 brucellosis cases and 5 deaths in 2025, banning raw pork dishes at festivals and requiring restaurants to serve fully cooked meat only.
On July 9, Phrae Governor Somchai Loetprasertpun chaired an emergency meeting of the provincial communicable disease committee with Dr. Noprat Watcharakijkul and other health officials to combat the spread of brucellosis, commonly called raw pork disease. The province has recorded alarming statistics, with the highest infection and death rates in upper northern Thailand: 37 cases and 5 deaths in 2025, and continued cases with rising trends during festival seasons in 2026.
The governor expressed concern over the local tradition of consuming raw pork dishes such as larb dip, lu, and sa at social gatherings. He has ordered all sectors to implement strict preventive measures under the campaign slogan "Eating raw pork risks deafness and death."
The disease control committee adopted three main measures: (1) Government and private agencies must ban demonstrations, competitions, or sales of raw or undercooked pork products like Phrae-style larb, lu, and sa at food festivals; (2) Restaurants and vendors must shift to fully cooked menus and conduct "separate chopstick" campaigns for hot pot and shabu restaurants to prevent cross-contamination of raw and cooked meat; (3) The public and event organizers must consume only fully heat-cooked pork and support "raw pork-free" community events.
Additional measures require pork butchers to wear gloves when handling raw meat and use separate cutting boards to prevent cross-contamination. Phrae province is urging all residents and sectors to strictly comply with these guidelines to protect public health and food safety.
