Meeky received another email on 2 July 2007. The subject is the deadly Leptospirosis (lep-to-spi-ro-sis) disease.
LEPTOSPIROSIS (DEADLY) VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW..
This incident happened recently in North Texas. A woman went boating one Sunday taking with her some cans of coke which she put into the refrigerator of the boat. On Monday she was taken to the hospital and placed in ICU. She died on Wednesday.The autopsy concluded she died of Leptospirosis. This was traced to the can of coke she drank from without using a glass. Tests showed that the can was infected by dried rat urine and hence the disease Leptospirosis.Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances. It is highly recommended to thoroughly wash the upper part of soda cans before drinking out of them. The cans are typically stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.A study at NYCU showed that the tops of soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets (i.e).. full of germs and bacteria. So wash them with water before putting them to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.
This incident happened recently in North Texas. A woman went boating one Sunday taking with her some cans of coke which she put into the refrigerator of the boat. On Monday she was taken to the hospital and placed in ICU. She died on Wednesday.The autopsy concluded she died of Leptospirosis. This was traced to the can of coke she drank from without using a glass. Tests showed that the can was infected by dried rat urine and hence the disease Leptospirosis.Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances. It is highly recommended to thoroughly wash the upper part of soda cans before drinking out of them. The cans are typically stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.A study at NYCU showed that the tops of soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets (i.e).. full of germs and bacteria. So wash them with water before putting them to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.
Please forward this message to all the people you care about. (I JUST DID)
It is yet another urban legend similar to the one that warns consumers of the danger of using microwaveable plastics and plastic bottles. (See meeky-meeky.blogspot.com “Microwave plastics a health threat?”)
The version above first appeared in March 2006. A much earlier version, containing essentially the same warning appeared on 25 September 2002:
Subject: FW: Coke anyone?
Charming........
This incident happened recently in Belgium.
A woman went boating one Sunday, taking with her some cans of coke which she put in the refrigerator of the boat. On Monday she was taken into ICU and on Wednesday she died.
The autopsy revealed a certain Leptospirosis caused by the can of coke from which she had drunk straight out of, not using a glass. A test showed that the can was infected by dried rat urine and hence the disease Leptospirosis.
Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances. It is highly recommended to wash thoroughly the upper part of soda cans before drinking out of them as they have been stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without with being cleaned. A study in Spain showed that the tops of soda cans are more contaminated then public toilets i.e full of germs and bacteria. So to wash them with water is advised before putting it to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.
Facts about Leptospirosis from the Centres for Disease control and prevention
What is leptospirosis?
It’s a bacterial disease that afflicts humans and animals. In humans the symptoms include : high fever, headache, chills, muscle pain, and vomiting. Other symptoms may include jaundice, red eyes, stomachache, diarrhea or rash. If untreated, the patient may develop kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure and respiratory prblems. Death from the disease is rare. A person usually contracts the disease from exposure to water contaminated with the urine of infected animals such as cattle, pigs, horses, dogs, rodents (including rats) and wild animals.
Humans are infected when they come into contact with water, food or soil containing urine from these infected animals. It can occur when a person swallows contaminated food or water or through skin contact, especially through the eyes or nose, or broken skin. The disease is not known to spread from person to person.
The time between a person's exposure to a contaminated source and becoming sick is 2 days to 4 weeks. The illness lasts from a few days to 3 weeks or longer. Without treatment, recovery may take several months.
It is most common in temperate or tropical climates. Farmers, sewer workers, veterinarians, fish workers, dairy farmers are most exposed to the disease.
How is leptospirosis treated?
Leptospirosis is effectively treated with antibiotics.
Can leptospirosis be prevented?
Do not swim or wade in water that might be infected with animal urine. Those whose jobs expose them to the risk of infection should wear protective clothing or footwear. The risk of acquiring leptospirosis can be greatly reduced by not swimming or wading in water that might be contaminated with animal urine.
The Leptospirosis Information Centre has this to say on the origin and truth of the email:
“The email evolves over time, and currently (March 2006) we are seeing a rise in circulation in the USA, referring to deaths in several states. They are entirely untrue and have been used to package viruses and trojan malware. If you receive one of these messages, please - delete it and ignore what it says. You are more at risk of being hit by lightning while riding a camel than contracting leptospirosis from a drinks container.
Official position of the LIC: While there is a theoretical risk of human infection from residual rat urine on cans or bottles, the statistical risk is extremely small. Leptospira require constant immersion in water to survive, and so drying of the surface for any length of time will permanently kill the bacteria. Given that drinking containers are non-porous, surface moisture dries very quickly and cannot possibly contaminate the contents. Drinking from a can or bottle that has been exposed to rat urine presents a risk in theory only. There are no reported cases in the literature of human infection being unequivocally traced to cans or bottles and no medical studies have been performed into leptospira on drinks containers, or into the relative bacterial levels of drinks containers and public toilets. The emails usually report a study by 'NYCU'. There is no such University (it is an acronym for News You Can Use) and is in no way connected to New York University”.
(http://www.leptospirosis.org/)
“The email evolves over time, and currently (March 2006) we are seeing a rise in circulation in the USA, referring to deaths in several states. They are entirely untrue and have been used to package viruses and trojan malware. If you receive one of these messages, please - delete it and ignore what it says. You are more at risk of being hit by lightning while riding a camel than contracting leptospirosis from a drinks container.
Official position of the LIC: While there is a theoretical risk of human infection from residual rat urine on cans or bottles, the statistical risk is extremely small. Leptospira require constant immersion in water to survive, and so drying of the surface for any length of time will permanently kill the bacteria. Given that drinking containers are non-porous, surface moisture dries very quickly and cannot possibly contaminate the contents. Drinking from a can or bottle that has been exposed to rat urine presents a risk in theory only. There are no reported cases in the literature of human infection being unequivocally traced to cans or bottles and no medical studies have been performed into leptospira on drinks containers, or into the relative bacterial levels of drinks containers and public toilets. The emails usually report a study by 'NYCU'. There is no such University (it is an acronym for News You Can Use) and is in no way connected to New York University”.
(http://www.leptospirosis.org/)
Top 10 E-Mail Health Hoaxes of the Decade
1 Antiperspirants cause breast cancer. 1999. (You know, the deodorant that we apply to our armpits to keep us smelling like flowers).
2. Aspartame causes serious disease. 1999. (An artificial sweeter that can cause sclerosis, memory loss and serious impairment of vision in diabetics)
3. Bananas spread flesh-eating disease. 2000. (Shipments of bananas from Costa Rica, infected by flesh-eating bacteria that attack soft tissues under the skin resulting in gangrene).
4. Cough CPR can save your life. 1999. (Repeated coughing can save the life of a heart attack victim when he is alone and without help)
5. Fish Contaminated With Deadly 'Zulican Virus ''. 2004. (The zulican virus had allegedly caused many deaths as a result of people consuming contaminated seafood immediately after the Asian Tsunami in December 2004. There is no such virus).
2. Aspartame causes serious disease. 1999. (An artificial sweeter that can cause sclerosis, memory loss and serious impairment of vision in diabetics)
3. Bananas spread flesh-eating disease. 2000. (Shipments of bananas from Costa Rica, infected by flesh-eating bacteria that attack soft tissues under the skin resulting in gangrene).
4. Cough CPR can save your life. 1999. (Repeated coughing can save the life of a heart attack victim when he is alone and without help)
5. Fish Contaminated With Deadly 'Zulican Virus ''. 2004. (The zulican virus had allegedly caused many deaths as a result of people consuming contaminated seafood immediately after the Asian Tsunami in December 2004. There is no such virus).
6. Freezing Water In Plastic Bottles Releases Cancer-Causing Dioxin. 2004. (John Hopkins Hospital denied ever issuing such warning in a special news release). See meeky-meeky.blogspot.com on "Microwave plastic a health threat?".
7. Woman Catches Leptospirosis From Unwashed Coke Can. 2002.
8. Lead In Lipstick. 2003. ( It allegedly claimed that many branded lipsticks contain cancer-causing lead).
9. Tampons Contain Asbestos. 1998. (Many women must have been frightened when they were told that tampons contain cancer-causing asbestos. Experts dismissed the allegations as absurd: ''Tampons do not contain asbestos and never have”).
10. Shampoo Causes Cancer. 1998. (This claimed that a synthetic chemical used in shampoo and in some toothpastes causes cancer. However this chemical is not listed among the known or suspected carcinogens.
9. Tampons Contain Asbestos. 1998. (Many women must have been frightened when they were told that tampons contain cancer-causing asbestos. Experts dismissed the allegations as absurd: ''Tampons do not contain asbestos and never have”).
10. Shampoo Causes Cancer. 1998. (This claimed that a synthetic chemical used in shampoo and in some toothpastes causes cancer. However this chemical is not listed among the known or suspected carcinogens.
Summarized from: (
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/9-1-2006-107386.asp)Photos
"Rat" from: http://www.jdetrich.homestead.com/files/bdr.htm
"Flood" from: http://www.infobae.com/adjuntos/imagenes/13/0131334B.jpg
"Eye" from: http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/images/thumb/d/d6/Humanlepto.jpg/350px-Humanlepto.jpgye
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