Open in app Sign up Sign in Write Sign up Sign in ![\\"\\"](\\" # MISLEADING: This video claiming that Somalia has released 500 tons of bananas with Helicobacter into the market is inaccurate ## _Helicobacter_ is not a worm as alleged in the video but a bacterium that can only be seen with a microscope. ![\\"PesaCheck\\"](\\" ![\\"PesaCheck\\"](\\" PesaCheck · Follow Published in PesaCheck · 5 min read · Dec 9, 2021 \-- Listen Share ![\\"\\"](\\" A Facebook post claiming that Somalia has released 500 tons of bananas with Helicobacter into the market is MISLEADING. ![\\"\\"](\\" The Facebook post claims that the bananas contain a worm called Helicobacter which upon consumption can allegedly cause brain death in 12 hours. Before brain death, the Facebook post warns that one experiences symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, and headache. A video showing a hand cutting a ripe banana and removing two long white worms using a pair of forceps is also attached to the Facebook post. Other than Facebook, the video has also been circulating in Kenyan WhatsApp groups. We performed a video reverse research but could not trace the origin of that video. However, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority and the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture also dismissed the video as misleading. Nonetheless, research shows that Helicobacter is not a worm as alleged in the Facebook post but a bacteria. According to an article published by the Mayo Clinic, bacteria are single-celled organisms that can only be seen with a microscope or by performing a culture. Therefore the worms in the bananas cannot be Helicobacter. Scientifically, the bacteria is known as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Its spiral shape enables it to penetrate the stomach lining and grow in the digestive tract. H. pylori can damage the tissue in the stomach and duodenum which can either cause inflammation or painful sores called peptic ulcers in the upper digestive tract. H. pylori are mostly transmitted through vomit or stool which happens when one eats food that is not properly cleaned or cooked. One can also get it from consuming water that is contaminated with bacteria. Health experts also believe that the bacteria can be transmitted through the mouth, for example, through kissing. Some of the symptoms of H. pylori infection are belly or abdominal pain, weight loss, not feeling hungry, bloated stomach, burping, stomach upset, nausea or vomiting. Brain death after 12 hours is not listed among symptoms of H. pylori infection. We contacted an infectious disease specialist at Kenyatta National Hospital, Dr Samuel Njenga, who told us that Helicobacter does not generally cause death. “Helicobacter does not even invade the brain; it can only colonise the stomach. It is not a worm for it to migrate. Unless you get an ulcer and then that ulcer starts bleeding and you bleed to death. But Helicobacter cannot cause death,” Dr Njenga told this fact-checker over the phone. The doctor added that Helicobacter is quite common in Kenya. “In Kenya, you don’t have to worry. You have enough of them in kales, that’s what people eat every day. Nowadays, almost everyone, when they go for a H. pylori test, tests positive. Helicobacter is a bacteria which is associated with ulcers but not everyone who has ulcers has that bacteria. It is just a bacteria that is able to survive in an acidic environment. People with ulcers are given an antibiotic together with an antacid,” the specialist added. H. pylori infection can be treated using triple therapy that includes two different antibiotics and an antacid. After completing the treatment, one has to go for a check-up but one round of antibiotics is usually enough to clear the infection. PesaCheck has looked into a Facebook post claiming that Somalia has released 500 tons of bananas with Helicobacter into the market and finds it to be MISLEADING. This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as _potential misinformation_ on Facebook and other social media platforms. By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds. Have you spotted what you think is fake or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content. ![\\"\\"](\\" This fact-check was written by PesaCheck fact-checker _Naomi Wanjiku_ and edited by PesaCheck chief copy editor _Rose Lukalo_. The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck managing editor _Enock Nyariki_. ![\\"\\"](\\" PesaCheck is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative. It was co-founded by _Catherine Gicheru_ and _Justin Arenstein_, and is being incubated by the continent’s largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator: _Code for Africa_. It seeks to help the public separate fact from fiction in public pronouncements about the numbers that shape our world, with a special emphasis on pronouncements about public finances that shape government’s delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) public services, such as healthcare, rural development and access to water / sanitation. _PesaCheck_also tests the accuracy of media reportage. To find out more about the project, visit ___pesacheck.org_ _._ ![\\"\\"](\\" Follow Us ![\\"\\"](\\" Like Us ![\\"\\"](\\" Email Us PesaCheck is an initiative of _Code for Africa_, through its _innovateAFRICA fund_, with support from _Deutsche Welle Akademie_, i ![](\\" ## Sign up to discover human stories that deepen your understanding of the world. ## Free Distraction-free reading. No ads. Organize your knowledge with lists and highlights. Tell your story. Find your audience. Sign up for free ## Membership Read member-only stories Support writers you read most Earn money for your writing Listen to audio narrations Read offline with the Medium app Try for $5/month Kenya Short Form English \-- \-- ![\\"PesaCheck\\"](\\" ![\\"PesaCheck\\"](\\" Follow ## Written by PesaCheck 5.8K Followers ·Editor for PesaCheck Are they lying? Kenya’s 1st fact-checking initiative verifies statements by public figures. A @Code4Kenya and @IBP_Kenya initiative, supported by @Code4Africa. 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Somalia has released 500 tons of poisonous bananas into the market