January 3, 2005
Seafood Virus branded a hoax by Singapore government
An SMS claiming that a "very dangerous virus" is being spread via seafood in the aftermath of Asia's devastating tsunami was branded a hoax today by the Singapore government, reports The Age.
"The alleged food-borne virus does not even exist, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA), Singapore's food safety watchdog.
The text message circulating in the city-state and in the tsunami-wracked region reads: "Alert everyone: very dangerous virus, Zulican virus is spreading through seafood. So please avoid eating seafood and pass this message to all of your friends," according to The Straits Times.
"The Zulican virus does not exist," the AVA spokesman told the newspaper.
The Central Institute of Fisheries Technology in India also issued assurances that eating fish was safe and no such virus existed."
Related articles:
-- Dangerous virus in Seafood a hurtful SMS rumor
-- Tsunami aftermath: SMS alert against eating sea food
-- Links to all Tsunami/cell phone stories posted in Textually.org.
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