Fact check: Can HIV be acquired from infected fish?
- There have been rumors spreading that HIV can be acquired from infected fish
- This started when there were hazardous hospital thrown in a shore in Cebu
- However, misconceptions on HIV have been debunked
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There have been multiple social media posts spreading information that it is dangerous to eat fish for the meantime since there has been hazardous hospital waste thrown in a shore in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu City.
They also claimed that the fishes might be infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which can be transmitted to those who will eat it.
“Yan ang tube nga tinapon sa dagat ang my ari mga HIV AIDS patient kaya delekado ..wag mona magkain ng isda ngaun,” said one Facebook user.
However, KAMI learned that this claim is false.
In a report by GMA News, an Infectious Disease Specialist named Endymion Ervin Tan has debunked this claim.
“Because ‘yung HIV would stand for Human Immunodeficiency Virus so the main na victims, kung sino ang magkakaroon ng HIV, of course, would be human,” Tan said.
“Hindi naman siya Fish Immunodeficiency Virus, right?” he quipped.
Another doctor shared on Facebook named Chao-Tiao Yumol, had a humorous answer as to how a human can acquire HIV from fishes:
1. Nakipagtalik ka sa isda
2. Nagpasalin ka ng dugo ng isda
3. Isda ang nanay mo.
“Ang H po sa HIV ay Human Immunodeficiency Virus hindi po Hisda,” the doctor quipped.
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There are many misconceptions that have been spread in terms of transmitting HIV such as holding hands, kissing, mosquito bites, and swimming in pools.
However, Dr. Tan said that HIV can only be spread through exposure to seminal fluid, blood, blood transfusion, and vertical transmission.
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Source: KAMI.com.gh
