Fact-check: A tornadic incident didn’t happen on Lake Victoria in July 2023

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No, this video was taken on Lake Bunyonyi in January 2019 during an occurrence called waterspout.

Writer: Jibi Moses

A video circulating on WhatsApp and Facebook showing a water body flashing water in the air, claimed to have taken place on Lake Victoria in July 2023, is false. 

The video shows people taking pictures and recordings, shouting, and ululating.  Some of the voices are heard crying in English…. “We are going to die,…… if we keep quiet it will come, it will continue…”

 The video accompanies the text: “This happened in Lake Victoria yesterday. What could it be?”

A screenshot of the video with a few follow-up comments. 

The follow-up comments on the video shared raised suspicion and prompted an investigation. 

Investigation:

211 Check ran a Google Lens Search on the video, bringing in multiple results, with videos and pictures of the same scene dating back to 2019.

According to various sites, the incident happened on Lake Bunyonyi and was termed a tornado.

In one report dated January 22, 2019, by the Monitor, a mainstream Ugandan newspaper, the incident was reported as ‘Panic as tornado hits Lake Bunyonyi.’

The story narrated how residents witnessed an unfamiliar occurrence on the lake during a rainy evening. This caused panic among residents as it was happening for the first time in the area. 

 “Mr. Didas Kyarikora, alias Swansea, another resident of Mugyera in Bufundi Sub County, Rubanda District, said that although he saw a cloud of white smoke, he could not figure out what it was. However, he added that an elder informed him that it was a tornado hitting the lake,” reads part of  the article. 

A screenshot of the article from the Monitor publication

Other sources that gazetted this moment are shown here and here.

The Uganda Media Centre, the agency facilitating communication of government policies, programmes, and projects to the public through the media, also reported the incident on Twitter but differed in how they explained it. According to them, the occurrence is called a waterspout.  

Upon tracing the difference between the two, this is what we discovered: to start with, they are both columns of rotating air. The main difference is in where they form. A tornado begins over land, while a tornadic waterspout develops over water or moves from the land to the water. There are also other types of waterspouts.

Waterspout formation typically occurs when cold air moves across the Great Lakes, resulting in large temperature differences between the warm water and the overriding cold air.

Marine Insight, a publication about nature, has this to say:

   “……Waterspouts can occur at any place all over the coastal regions of the world. There is no particular place, as per scientific explanation, where they are more likely to happen. However, despite that fact, some regions worldwide witness waterspouts more often than others. The Florida Keys, Cienfuegos Bay in Cuba, and the waters of the Great Lakes are the most common places where waterspouts have been spotted.”

Conclusion:

The claim that a tornado happened in July 2023 on Lake Victoria is false. The incident, a waterspout, happened on Lake Bunyonyi in Southwestern Uganda, bordering Rwanda, in 2019. The phenomenon is an intense columnar vortex that occurs over a body of water.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s vital to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking lives—Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter 

Fact-check: No evidence low sugar intake, hot lemon juice and organic coconut oil can cure cancer

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There is no scientific evidence that supports the claim. 

Writer: Beatrice Amude Paulino 

A message circulating on WhatsApp claims that a ‘Dr. Gupta’ says: “No one should die of cancer except due to carelessness.”

The message also lists some steps to back up the statement: The first step is to stop all sugar intake; without sugar in your body, cancer cells can die naturally. The second step is to drink hot lemon juice for three months before eating food, and the third step is to drink three tablespoons of coconut oil morning and night.

The claim, which has also been shared here on Facebook,  adds that the steps will eliminate cancer cells in the body.

Screenshot of the claims as shared on WhatsApp (2).

No, stopping sugar intake cannot kill cancer:

211 Check investigated the claim and discovered that, according to the US National Cancer Institute, cancer cells usually multiply quickly, which takes a lot of energy. The primary energy source in our bodies is glucose, which comes from sugar. Cancer cells also need lots of nutrients such as fats and amino acids. 

“Cancer cells, like all cells, require nourishment to flourish. Sugar is a significant fuel source but is far from the only one cancer needs,” says Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), a US-based research institute.

Can drinking hot lemon juice for three months cure cancer?

In the second step, the claim stated that hot lemon juice for three months could cure cancer.

Cancer Research UK, a registered charity that provides cancer information to the public, says that lemons contain properties like pectin, which, when modified, is an alternative therapy. 

Still, according to the National Center for Health Research, lemons are not proven or considered a remedy for fighting any type of cancer. No studies have been done to compare the effectiveness of lemon juice to chemotherapy. 

Can taking three tablespoons of organic coconut oil morning and night cure cancer?

The third step claims that taking three tablespoons of organic coconut oil morning and night will make the cancer ‘disappear’. The claim doesn’t specify how long this should be done.

The Harvard School of Public Health says that although coconut oil has many health benefits, they are tied to oil with a special formulation made of 100% medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which is not available in coconut oil usually found in commercial stores. Also, coconut oil mainly contains lauric acid, which is not an MCT but has been found to inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells. However, it is not established as a cure. 

Furthermore, the  World Health Organization(WHO) fact sheet has not mentioned any scientific proof supporting lemon, a sugar-free diet, or organic coconut oil curing cancer.

211 Check also found debunks by Africa Check, Full Fact, and Factly, which disputed the claims and the doctor.

Conclusion:

211 Check finds the claim that hot lemon water, sugar-free diets, and organic coconut oil can cure cancer unproven. The claim is a long-running social media hoax, and no scientific data or studies have shown that lemon, a sugar-free diet, and organic coconut oil can cure cancer.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and African Fact-Checking Alliance.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.It’s vital to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking lives—Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter

Fact-check: No, “Gammora” does not cure HIV/AIDS. It’s not a licenced medication

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No, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. It can, however, be managed using antiretroviral drugs, which stop the virus from replicating in the patient’s body.

Writer: Beatrice Amude Paulino

A Facebook page claiming to offer a new, approved, and tested final cure for HIV/AIDS – “Gammora” in Juba, South Sudan, is unproven.

On June 30, 2023,  Dr Shamir Care shared a poster with a text that partially reads: “GET a Kit today and regain your negative status back… Our new approved and tested final cure for HIV/AIDS...”  

The sponsored poster claims the service is available in Juba and directs interested people to talk to their team through a WhatsApp number linked to the post.

Screenshot of the poster as it appears on Facebook.

The post’s author then responds to enquiries about testimonies and physical location by asking them to reach out to the number provided, which raises suspicion.

The author can be seen replying to Facebook comments.

Other social media users, such as  Peter Garang Ngor Ayok, warned people about the advert in a published Facebook post. “The social media advert about HIV/AIDS cure circulating is malicious and meant to scam the people of South Sudan,” reads part of his post.

Investigation:

When contacted by 211 Check via WhatsApp, Dr Shamir Care responded that they offer tablets and injections in cash on a delivery basis. They do not have a physical location.

‘’You can buy tablets at 300$ It depends on which one you can afford, and all cures completely without the virus returning to your body… The brand name is Gammora, and it is available in Juba (sic).’’

A previous article in September 2022 by 211 Check established that Gammora does not cure HIV/AIDS.

Dr Leju Benjamin Modi, HIV Testing Services (HTS) Optimisation Advisor in the PEPFAR-supported HIV Care and Treatment Program in South Sudan at the Ministry of Health, said in a WhatsApp message, “As a medic and based on available data, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS yet. South Sudan’s Ministry of Health has not approved the sale of such a cure in the country” when asked to comment.

In January last year, the South Sudan Drugs and Food Control Authority (DFA) said it would start clamping down on unauthorised individuals involved in the importation of drugs. Secretary General for the authority Mawien Atem Mawien said after a public outcry that some medicines were ineffective, advising people to get malaria treatment from certified health facilities.

211 Check also contacted Dr Thomas Taban, a medical practitioner at Juba Teaching Hospital who dismissed claims of an HIV cure. “The people claiming to be curing HIV are scammers,” said Taban in response to 211 Check.

The World Health Organization(WHO) says there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. It is, however, treated with antiretroviral drugs, which stop the virus from replicating in the body.

“Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) does not cure HIV infection but allows a person’s immune system to get stronger,’’ reads WHO. 

Conclusion:

211 Check finds the claim of Gammora as a cure for HIV/AIDS unproven. There is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS, although there have been advancements in the search for a cure. HIV/AIDS can only be managed through ART, a lifelong treatment that suppresses the replication of HIV in the body. 

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.    

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s vital to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives. Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter.