The video showing a banana with Helicobacter worm has been circulating on social media for a while, with false alarms to the consumers.
According to the video, the worm was discovered in 500 tons of bananas from Somalia that arrived in Abu Dhabi markets recently.
“Hello friends and people please spread this video as much as possible. Recently, 500 tons of bananas from Somalia arrived in the markets, which contain a worm called Helicobacter that releases poisonous bananas in the stomach, which then shows the following symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, headache) and after 12 hours the person will die from brain death,” the false caption claimed.
It continued that:
“Please refrain from buying and eating bananas these days, or if you do buy, be sure to open them inside.”
Days after the video went viral, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (Adafsa), dismissed the video, saying that it was incorrect.
The fact-checker has also found out that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a type of bacteria and not a worm as claimed in the viral video.
Helicobacter bacteria can enter into someone’s body and live in the digestive tract and can cause sores or ulcers, in the lining of the stomach after some years.
Adafsa said that worms are not known to complete their life cycle inside the fruits, more so with the length of the worms that were inside the banana.
“The viral video on social media about Somalia bananas is incorrect and contains false, and misleading information,” Adafsa said.
Also, the story of the purported worm has not appeared in any of the leading media houses, and if it was the case, both countries would have communicated to the public in order to protect their consumers.
