Joy Adalia
Supermarkets and grocery stores have allegedly removed canned food from Thailand off their shelves after reports have surfaced that these could be contaminated with HIV.
The supposed source of this announcement is the Thai government who confirmed the alleged contamination.
In the Philippines, actor Piolo Pascual posted the warning on his Instagram on February 10. The actor immediately delete this post upon knowing that this report is a hoax.
Just Another Hoax Story
As scary as this might sound, the story is yet another elaborate hoax created by some guys who had nothing better to do than fabricate tales to scare people.
Similar stories have circulated the web in 2013. This is another variation of the story as posted by Hoax Slayer:
The story has circulated across social media, through text messages, and via chat apps like WhatsApp, not just in the Philippines but in neighboring countries as well. After all, upon learning of such a scary story, many people wanted to quickly warn their families and friends lest they be infected with HIV.
The warning seemed credible because it mentioned that the Thai government’s own Ministry of Health had confirmed the report. Contrary to the bogus reports, however, the Thai Embassy in Brunei Darussalam debunked the rumors, saying there is no truth to the story and that they are seriously investigation the origin of these false reports.
Learning More about HIV
Most, if not all, people have heard about HIV and how it caused the deaths of thousands of people, including notable celebrities such as the Queen’s Freddie Mercury. However, most of their knowledge about HIV is very limited.
People have an idea that HIV via blood – so, they assumed that because the canned goods were supposedly tainted with blood from HIV victims, then they could get sick with HIV after consuming these goods.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
CDC has received no reports of HIV infection resulting from eating food, including condiments. HIV does not live long outside the body. Even if small amounts of HIV-infected blood or semen was consumed, exposure to the air, heat from cooking, and stomach acid would destroy the virus. Therefore, there is no risk of contracting HIV from eating food.
So, though we need to be extra vigilant about serious matters like HIV, it is also not a good idea to simply believe what you see and take it at face value.
Stay informed and share this with your friends. There is no truth to the rumors. Canned goods from Thailand are NOT tainted with HIV.
