MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources slammed online rumors spreading false information that eating fishes caught in Philippine water imposes grave health risks due to medical waste thrown at sea.
In a public advisory, the BFAR said “there have been false information circulating on social media which prohibits the general public from eating fish, following an alleged dumping of medical wastes at sea, specifically a ‘tube from a hospital with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).”
The BFAR categorically dismisses the rumors as “not true.”
The agency strongly urged the public to be vigilant about such matters and encouraged everyone to verify information first before spreading.
The BFAR always releases information about the status of consuming aquatic resources whenever there is imminent health danger like red tide in shellfishes as well as affected sea products as a result of sea-bound accidents like oil spills.
