MindaNews fact-checked the June 11 post of Darren Ferrer on Facebook warning people not to consume fish, saying a hospital dumped tubes used on HIV patients into the sea. The post is fake.
Darren Ferrer posted on his Facebook page that several people have died after eating fish caught from the sea where a hospital supposedly dumped tubes used on HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) patients. He said 371 have died in Cagayan de Oro City, 24 in Iligan City, 18 in Gingoog City, 18 each in Valencia City and Maramag in Bukidnon, and 11 in Opol, Misamis Oriental.
The post in Cebuano said, “Palihug kog basa para safe tang tanan. Day pahibalo ang tanan bawal sa ta magkaun isda karon kay ang dagat gilabayan ug tube sa hospital nga gikan sa mga h.i.v…(Please read so all of us may be safe. Girl, tell everybody that it’s forbidden to eat fish for now because a hospital dumped tubes used on HIV patients into the sea).”
As of June 17, the post had generated 15,000 reactions, close to 10,000 comments and 142,000 shares. Ferrer’s page has 11,000 followers.
The Department of Health (DOH) Region 10 said the post is fake.
“The Department of Health advises the public against a circulating Facebook post claiming that consuming fish poses a risk for HIV infection due to improper waste disposal of HIV-infected tubes from hospitals. The post alleges that there is an escalating death toll in various cities due to the consumption of contaminated fish,” the agency said in a Facebook post on June 15.
“𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗜𝗩 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵. 𝗛𝗜𝗩 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹,” it said. [emphasis in original]
The DOH explained that HIV is primarily transmitted through specific bodily fluids, including blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
“The most common modes of HIV transmission include unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing contaminated needles or syringes, and transmission from an HIV-positive mother to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding,” it said.
“The DOH urges the public to rely on information from reputable and authoritative sources such as the Department of Health as misinformation can create unnecessary panic and fear,” it added.
As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes leads or suggestions from the public to potential fact-check stories. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews
