AFP México

No, consuming cucumber, coconut or cold water during menstruation will not cause 'uterine cancer' or 'sterility'

Published on 11 October 2019 at 23:14

Multiple Facebook posts which suggest activities women should avoid during their menstural period -- presumably to avoid "sterility" and "uterus cancer" -- have been shared nearly a million times in multiple languages. Gynecologists consulted by AFP say that none of the claims are true.

This magazine cover originated on a parody website

Published on 30 September 2019 at 10:30

An image which purports to show teenage climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg topping a magazine list of the world’s highest-paid activists has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook and Twitter. But the claim is false; the purported magazine cover actually originated on a parody website; a spokesperson for Greta Thunberg told AFP she does not receive payment for her appearances or media engagements.

No, HIV can not be transmitted via a banana

Published on 24 September 2019 at 16:36Updated on 24 September 2019 at 16:36

Facebook posts claim that people can contract the HIV virus by eating fruit contaminated with the blood of an HIV-positive person. The claim is false; this hoax, which has circulated millions of times in English, Spainsh and French since at least 2015, is being shared again in Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that HIV cannot be transmitted via food.

This tweet about mass shootings needs to define the term

Published on 19 August 2019 at 23:48

A viral tweet comparing mass shootings perpetrated in various countries since the beginning of 2019 continues to be shared across social media since the August 4 shooting in Dayton, Ohio. The original tweet pointed out that the United States experienced 249 mass shootings, while countries like Brazil only suffered one. This is misleading. The definition of a mass shooting for the US data includes gang related violence, which it does not for other countries, experts told AFP.

2006 fine against California fencing company resurfaces in misleading meme

Published on 31 July 2019 at 18:18

A Facebook post shared tens of thousands of times recounts a $5-million fine levied against the Golden State Fence Company for hiring employees who were not legally allowed to work in the United States. The company was fined by the government, but the hiring infractions date back to 1999 and the fine was handed down in 2006, years prior to US President Donald Trump’s campaign to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

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