A Facebook user has resurrected a two-year-old report on the confiscation of canned mackerel from China in Malaysia to back a groundless warning that China’s “next plan” after the novel coronavirus is to ship contaminated sardines to the Philippines.
Posting seven screenshots from a video report of United News International that ran on Global One News on June 30, 2018, the May 2 post said:
astagfirullah, Hindi pa nga tapus ang Corona virus Ito nanaman ang susunod na plano Nila mga hayop talaga taga China na Yan Mag ingat sa bagong sardinas na ito na binibigay Nila
(Allah, forgive me. The coronavirus isn’t over. Here comes their next plan, those animals from China. Be careful of new sardines they are giving).
The report, “Worms infest canned goods,” said Malaysian authorities impounded shipments of canned sardines imported from China that arrived in Penang in May 2018 after they found parasitic worms in them.
The one-minute account said the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Service believed the worms could be anisakis, a type of roundworms that cause the anisakiasis disease in humans when they attack the gastrointestinal system.
The symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea and nausea, it said.
The report misidentified the brand as Renang. The brand is Ranessa, as shown in the video.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said humans ingest the anisakis larvae when they eat raw or undercooked infected fish or squid.
The signs and symptoms can also include vomiting, abdominal distention, blood and mucus in stool, mild fever, allergic reactions and, infrequently, anaphylaxis, it said.
Treatment may require removal of the worm from the body by endoscopy or surgery.
Unlike COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus, anisakiasis cannot be transmitted human to human, according to the CDC.
Beyond the screenshots, the Facebook user offered no other basis for her warning about China’s plot.
The post has been shared nearly 1,000 times.
References
astagfirullah, Hindi pa nga tapus ang Corona virus Ito nanaman ang susunod na plano Nila mga hayop talaga taga China na Yan Mag ingat sa bagong sardinas na ito na binibigay Nila [Facebook status update]. (2020, May 2).
Bernama. (2018, June 27). Worms causing Anisakiasis disease found in canned sardines from China. Retrieved from https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/06/384432/worms-causing-anisakiasis-disease-found-canned-sardines-china
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [n.d.] Anisakiasis FAQs. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/anisakiasis/faqs.html
Global One News. (2018, June 30). Let us know your thoughts on this topic - click "Learn More." Malaysia impounds containers of worm infested canned sardines from China [Facebook status update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1828851500528216