Can a person be infected with HIV if he or she ate food contaminated with HIV blood?
That was the first question that hit me when a friend of mine posted on her FB wall warning that a so called employee from Pepsi was caught contaminating the popular beverage with HIV positive blood.
A few years ago I've heard from experts that AIDS virus can not be acquired via mosquito bites. So this time the threat in question is can HIV virus survive or even thrive on food products?
It's easier now to make queries and seek professional answer with the help of the internet. It's just a stone throw away or let me say, just a click away!
Since now that I am an advocate of "Think before you click" program by GMA News TV, I am now more careful in hitting the left-click mouse most especially on controversial issue. Okay, maybe you are compel to spread the News so to warn your friends and love ones BUT please practice more caution.
The same rumors had happen before to Jollibee, a famous fast-food chain in the Philippines...but what is suspecting about the rumors is that it was only spreading via text messages and not in the local TV or Radio News.
Usually the sources are anonymous..Now asked them this?
Did you really saw someone actually do it? Are you there when it happen?
Often the reply would be, "Ah-eh...I saw..actually I heard it somewhere...a friend said he saw it..."
Like the one being circulated now against Pepsi, it even uses GMA News as source. Now I never skip that News program but where was I when it was being broadcast?
Just think about the effect of this malicious messages. These companies have employees and at this Holiday season the sale might go down, so the management might decide to retrench or cut down take-home pay or bonuses. Their kids might not have something to share on this season...OK I hate to say this but I have to--the employee's children will have no new clothes to wear for Christmas and even worse is a big chance that they will not share Noche Buena feast. (Even if I don't follow Christmas tradition being a "Bible" base Christian, the reason I have told from previous blogs) Anyway, it would be heart breaking to see these families with Children empty on this Holiday season or for days to come...Maybe I have over emphasize the matter but it can never be further from the truth because of falsified messages.
The internet has given us now the same power, where a few years ago only journalist and broadcaster can exercise.
Now sometimes these tools are being used to spread personal motives to elevate himself or to disgrace other entity. Sometimes posting comment on wall was simply done for fun. Unintentionally spreading false information can become a fire that might bounce back to you or your family.
I think it wont hurt us a bit if we do a little effort to check our Google search engines especially if we are in doubt. In Filipino we had this saying "Maraming namamatay sa akala." (Many dies in assumption) and this are more possible now to occur because of the faster communication systems. Information is power and its opposite is misinformation...
So, when I saw this shoutout being posted I immediate made a little research. These are serious matter and can be fatal if true. If true, I will help the message spread like wildfire. But actually at first glance, the format of the message was already malicious, maybe I can blog one of this day how to identify a false statement.
Don't let your shield's down or else people will "quote" you as the author of LIES. Name your sources if you are sure it will not put them in assassination list.
Make some references or if none, better be ready. I mean, if you don't give names of resource person, then assume the role as the source..But better be ready to stand on it.
OK to end all the argument with regards to PEPSI being contaminated with HIV is a hoax. It's misinterpretation of an acronym PEPSI- Post Exposure Prophylactic following Sexual Intercourse.
It has nothing to do with drinks, its used by medics for a course of treatment given after someone suspects he or she may have been exposed to the virus.
Below is an article I found about the issue from Hoax-Slayer:
Detailed Analysis
According to a series of breathless warnings that are currently flooding social media websites and are also circulating via email and text message, a worker at Pepsi has been deliberately contaminating bottles of the popular beverage with his own HIV infected blood.
However, there is not even a shred of truth to this silly story. If true, such a story would have been extensively reported by news outlets all around the world. And, of course, any potentially contaminated batches of Pepsi would have now been recalled. However, there are no credible news reports whatsoever that confirm the claims in the warning. Nor are there any recalls of Pepsi products due to potential HIV blood contamination.
In fact, the current spate of warnings is just another incarnation of a long running hoax that has falsely claimed that HIV infected blood has been added to various foodstuffs. Back in 2004, an emailed warning claimed that a man had been caught placing HIV contaminated blood in ketchup dispensers at fast food outlets. This hoax subsequently spawned several other ketchup or tomato sauce related variants in the years since. And in, 2006, another series of hoax messages wrongly claimed that a child was diagnosed with AIDS after eating contaminated take-away food prepared by a HIV positive cook who had cut his finger and bled while working in the kitchen. None of the claims outlined in any of these warning messages has ever been confirmed or supported by any credible source.
Moreover, the US based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that it has never received any reports of HIV infections caused by contaminated food. The CDC also points out that a person would not become infected even if they did consume food that contained HIV infected blood:
According to a series of breathless warnings that are currently flooding social media websites and are also circulating via email and text message, a worker at Pepsi has been deliberately contaminating bottles of the popular beverage with his own HIV infected blood.
However, there is not even a shred of truth to this silly story. If true, such a story would have been extensively reported by news outlets all around the world. And, of course, any potentially contaminated batches of Pepsi would have now been recalled. However, there are no credible news reports whatsoever that confirm the claims in the warning. Nor are there any recalls of Pepsi products due to potential HIV blood contamination.
In fact, the current spate of warnings is just another incarnation of a long running hoax that has falsely claimed that HIV infected blood has been added to various foodstuffs. Back in 2004, an emailed warning claimed that a man had been caught placing HIV contaminated blood in ketchup dispensers at fast food outlets. This hoax subsequently spawned several other ketchup or tomato sauce related variants in the years since. And in, 2006, another series of hoax messages wrongly claimed that a child was diagnosed with AIDS after eating contaminated take-away food prepared by a HIV positive cook who had cut his finger and bled while working in the kitchen. None of the claims outlined in any of these warning messages has ever been confirmed or supported by any credible source.
Moreover, the US based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that it has never received any reports of HIV infections caused by contaminated food. The CDC also points out that a person would not become infected even if they did consume food that contained HIV infected blood:
No incident of food being contaminated with HIV-infected blood or semen has been reported to CDC. Furthermore, 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.
Thus, sending on such warnings will help no one and will achieve nothing other than clutter inboxes and social networks with even more utterly pointless nonsense. (hoax-slayer.com)
Perhaps we should go further on how HIV is being transmitted. According to sources there are only 3 known way this could happen...and this also
1. Blood Transmission or Transfusion
2. Unsafe Sex with an HIV positive.
3. Through birth from HIV positive mother.(70% preventable)
2. Unsafe Sex with an HIV positive.
3. Through birth from HIV positive mother.(70% preventable)
Granting there is a possibility that this story is TRUE, a person positive with HIV accidentally.cut his finger and it fell on your food. Is it dangerous?
HIV never but some other diseases there is a strong possibility of tuberculosis or food poisoning.
Also I can assure you will not become a vampire.
your post was very much informative. we often are not clear of the doubts we keep regarding HIV contamination. you made once again revised the chapter clearly with a positive outlook.
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