Fact-check: Can drinking hot lemon water cure cancer? Not scientifically proven

/in ,

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A widely circulated WhatsApp message claiming that drinking hot lemon water can cure cancer is false.

The message, which warns people against using conventional cancer treatments and claims that mixing lemon fruit with hot water “is 1,000 times better than chemotherapy,” was attributed to Dr. Guru Prasad Reddy BV, who claimed to be a professor at Osh State Medical University in Moscow, Russia.

Screenshot of the claim posted on Facebook

“Screening will not and cannot lower the cancer cases. There are very many people who are going to India. A friend who has been going to India for the last three years because of cancer told me 50% of people in the cancer clinics in India are usually Africans (Kenya/Uganda) etc. Sadly, many don’t make it even after these treatments, this is the bit that we are never told,” reads part of the message on social media.

“Blend a whole lemon fruit with a cup of hot water and drink it for about 1-3 months first thing before food and cancer would disappear, research by Maryland College of Medicine says, it’s 1000 times better than chemotherapy”, the message adds.

Is this true? 211 Check investigates the claims made in the WhatsApp message:

211 Check established that Dr. Guru Prasad Reddy is a specialist in plastic surgery at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Hyderabad-Kondapur in India, not professor at Osh State Medical University in Russia.

And Osh State Medical University is a public University in Kyrgyzstan not in Moscow-Russia as claimed. The link is here

And 211 Check found no publicly available research published about lemon treating cancer by University of Maryland, College of Medicine. And lemon is not even in clinical trials as a medicine for cancer at the University.

In 2017, the claim was posted on a Facebook page by Home Ayurvedic remedied which garnered 102 comments, and 280 shares was also referenced to have been written by Dr. Guru Prasad Reddy. The link is here

The same message was also shared many years back and attributed to several doctors from different countries and institutions which some of them debunked as fake and said the claim was completely false.

AFP published a fact-check in August 2021 on the same claim as false which at that time was attributed to Chief Executive Professor Chen Horin from Beijing Military Hospital who according to AFP the professor was faked.

“This matter is very important..…lemon slices in a glass of hot water can save you for the rest of your life. Hot lemon water kills cancer cells. Cut a lemon into three pieces and put them in a cup. Then pour hot water in it. It’s done (alkaline water). Drinking it on a daily basis will give special benefits”, AFP quoted a post on Facebook in 2018 which was shared 125,000 times as said by Professor Chen Horin. 

However, AFP found out that the real chief physician Chen Huiren at Beijing Military Hospital name was the one faked in the claim, not Horin.

A cancer specialist at Bangladesh Cancer Society Hospital, Prof Dr Golam Mohiuddin Faruque, who was quoted by AFP said the claim was a hoax but said lemon can prevent some types of cancer however, not cure.

“No one can say hot lemon water…..can cure cancer and such claims have no scientific basis. There are different types of cancers and many of these have their own ways of treatment but drinking hot lemon water is definitely not among them. Citrus fruits including lemon sometimes can have some positive impact in preventing certain types of cancers but that’s not a treatment.” he was quoted as saying by AFP.

Scientific facts:

The lemon cure claim for cancer has been also disputed by the National Center for Health Research as untrue after modified citrus pectin – a carbohydrate in the peels of citrus fruits studied with humans’ prostate cancer was unsuccessful.

And it said limonoids chemical found in citrus peels has proved ineffective in preventing cancer in human beings.

Dr. Manish Singhal termed the claim as myth but it is a good idea to have lemon either in hot or cold water because it will keep one very hydrated by washing toxins and acids in the stomach. However, thinking that it can cure cancer is not true.

Cancer Research UK in 2013 has also clarified that “there’s no scientific evidence to show that lemon juice can cure cancer, despite what is on the internet”. 

And the U.S. National Centre for Health Research, “lemons are not a “proven remedy against cancers of all types,” and no studies have ever been done that would compare the effectiveness of a lemon to chemotherapy.”

There is currently no World Health Organization (WHO) factsheet on lemon curing cancer in patients, and what is circulating on the internet about lemon hot water curing cancer remains just a hypothesis not scientifically proven.

Conclusion:

211 Check investigated posts on lemon hot water curing cancer that have been going on for years in various platforms, with others claiming that the lemon is 10,000, 10, and 1,000 times more effective than chemotherapy are unproven. And because no scientific studies have proven the claim to be true, it remains a health myth.

Explainer: What is the difference between a Nationality Certificate and a National ID in South Sudan?

/in ,

Writer: Emmanuel Bida Thomas

  Courtesy photo of a National ID     
                           Courtesy photo of a Nationality Certificate

South Sudanese have recently sought clarification on the distinction between the Nationality Certificate and the National ID, both of which are issued by the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports, and Immigration.

211 Check attempts to explain the differences between the two documents in the categories of definition, guiding laws, issuing authority, and validity in this short article.

Definitions: 

A “Nationality Certificate” is the document granted to a South Sudanese National who is eligible for national status in accordance with the provisions of Chapter III of the Nationality Act, 2011.

A “National ID” is a document issued to every South Sudanese of at least eighteen years of age for purposes of employment or as required by a “competent authority.”

Guiding laws:

The “Nationality Certificate” is issued in accordance with the provisions of the South Sudan Nationality Act, 2011.

“National ID” is issued in accordance with the provisions of the South Sudan Civil Registry Act, 2018.

Issuing authority:

The “Nationality Certificate” is processed at the Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Immigration and issued/signed by the Minister of Interior.

“National ID” is processed at the Directorate of Civil Registry and issued/signed by the Director of Nationality and Passports.

Validity:

The “Nationality Certificate” has a lifetime validity and it does not expire.

“National ID” has a five-year validity and expires just like a passport.

References:

To read more about the Nationality Certificate and National ID, kindly refer to:

The South Sudan Nationality Act, 2011

The South Sudan Civil Registry Act, 2018

Fact-check: Has the UN issued an alert on organ trafficking? No, it’s fake

/in ,

This alert is not available on the official website of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The United Nations denies having issued it.

By Ochaya Jackson

A United Nations document alerting the public on organ trafficking in the Middle East countries on social media is not true. 

The document indicated that the black market for human body parts in Middle East is in high demand, and warned the public of fake jobs offer abroad in which they murder the victims and remove organs from their bodies to be sold in the black market.

“The black market for parts of the human body is booming in  the Middle East. A kidney now costs 262,000 dollars (131 million CFA Francs); the heart costs 119,000 dollars (60 million CFA Francs) and liver costs 157,000 dollars (79 million CFA Francs). Beware of the fake foreign agencies promising to make you work abroad. They process your paper, pay your plane ticket, and just take you abroad pretending they want to find you a job, but instead, they kill their victims, recover all the precious parts of their bodies”, the document reads.

The document bears the claimed link to the website of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

When one clicks on the link claimed in the document, it returns an error message “the page or document requested is not available”.

Additionally, there is no any related document alerting about organ trafficking on the UN office on drugs and crime website.

A fact-check by PesaCheck in March 2021 on the same document found out that the alert was false.

Furthermore, the archived statement on organ trafficking on the website of UNODC covering from 2017 until August 2022 said that the need for transplantation of healthy organs into those who have failed organs have increased as such illicit means are being used to harvest human organs.

Screenshot of archived webpage

On March 10, 2021, UNODC Pakistan spokesperson Rizwana Asad told AFP that the claim was false and not shared by the UN.

AFP Fact-check states that the purported alert was first published on Facebook on March 2, 2021.

211 Check investigated an alleged United Nations alert warning the public about organ trafficking in the Middle East and discovered it to be FALSE.

Fact-check: South Sudan is NOT the largest producer of okra in Africa

/in

South Sudan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations have no data on how much okra South Sudan produces. Official statistics name Nigeria as the largest producer of okra in Africa.

By Emmanuel Bida Thomas 

African Report files, a Facebook blog page with 183K followers, claimed in a post on September 3, 2022, that South Sudan is the largest producer of Okra in Africa.

Screenshot of a Facebook post claiming that South Sudan is the largest producer of Okra in Africa

The claim drew 1.6K interactions, 180 comments, and 357 shares on Facebook and was re-posted by The Mail and ACC Tv.

The same claim was shared by a Twitter user here on September 7, 2022. While some audiences believed it was accurate, others argued it was false.

However, according to data on the global production of okra by Atlas, Nigeria is the second largest producer of Okra in the world, with 1,819,018 tonnes of yearly production, making it the first in Africa. The same data can be found in the diversity times.

Screenshot showing World Okra Production by Country

The database of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, FAOSTAT, which has a wealth of agricultural information, including okra, also names Nigeria as the largest producer of okra in Africa.

Okra production in Africa, according to data from FAO

Okra Production in South Sudan:

An internet search on okra production in South Sudan returns no data on how many tonnes the country produces yearly.

Statistics on FAOSTATS indicate “missing value (data cannot exist, not applicable)” for okra production in South Sudan.

211 Check reached out to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, but they could not immediately provide statistics on okra production in South Sudan.

Conclusion:

211 Check has looked into a claim that South Sudan is the largest producer of okra in South Sudan and finds it to be false. Both South Sudan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations have no data on how much okra South Sudan produces. Official statistics name Nigeria as the largest producer of okra in Africa.

Fact-check: MTN South Sudan 40th Anniversary Celebration Gift Raffle is a Hoax

/in ,

MTN South Sudan is just ten years old, and it marked its 10th anniversary in June 2021. Therefore, do not click and provide your contact address or personal information to suspicious online websites.

By Kei Emmanuel Duku

Introduction:

A website link widely shared on various WhatsApp groups claiming that MTN customers in South Sudan stand a chance of winning 300 euros through a questionnaire as MTN celebrates its 40th anniversary is false.

Fake Promotional Website Circulating on WhatsApp

While answering the questions on the website, you will encounter questions like:

1. Do you know MTN South Sudan?

2. How old are you?

3. What do you think about MTN South Sudan?

4. And, they also asked if you were male or female?

After going through the four-step questionnaires, a dialogue box with a congratulatory message pops up, “Your answers have been saved successfully. You have a chance to win gifts, and you must select the correct box with your prize inside.” You have three attempts. Good luck”. 

Upon selecting the first 2 boxes, it will tell you, “Sorry, the box you have selected is empty. Try again.” You have more chances left, but by clicking on the second row of the first two boxes, it tells you. “Congratulations! You did it! “You won 300 euros.”

And the thump rule: for you to get the money, you must be able to share their promotional messages in five groups and with 20 other friends, as well as complete the registration process with all contact addresses, in order for you to receive the 300 euros in 5-7 days. 

However, the promotion is not true, and below are some of our findings which make the promotion false or a hoax. 

If you do a close analysis of the website, it directs you to a different website, not the official MTN South Sudan website. The official website for MTN South Sudan is https://mtn.com.ss. The false promotional website is affirmationkidnap.top/ev, which we found to be unrelated to MTN South Sudan. 

Additionally, the impostor website is not encrypted, as all legitimate websites start with HTTPS. Therefore, you should desist from such scrupulous links or websites. 

Investigation:

MTN South Sudan was established in 2011, right after the independence of South Sudan, with its headquarters located in Hai Jerusalem, Juba-South Sudan. MTN celebrated its 10th year of existence in South Sudan in June last year.

When contacted by 211 Check via WhatsApp for the above promotional prizes. MtnSSD customer centre in South Sudan disputed the prizes and subsequently warned its customers about fake activities/business circulating on social media on behalf of the company’s name. 

“No, please be informed that it’s not from MTN.” Keep away from that unreliable information because it’s dangerous. ” “We appreciate you reaching out to us MTNSS,” reads the WhatsApp message from MTN South Sudan.

Another finding using Whois Search indicates that the website was created on May 07, 2022, updated two days later, and it will expire on May 07, 2023, with the website https://ican.org/epp # OK and URL www.west263.com registered in the province of Zhejiang, yet the official website for MTN South Sudan is https://mtn.com.ss.

Lastly, you can click on the link several times and keep winning the 300 euros. This is to lure you to share several times with audiences within your reach for them to achieve their set targets, but ideally, there’s nothing to win.  

Conclusion:

211 Check has investigated a claim stating that MTN South Sudan is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and found it to be a hoax. MTN South Sudan is just ten years old, and it marked its 10th anniversary in June 2021. Therefore, do not click and provide your contact address or personal information to suspicious online websites.

Fact-check: Is Mwijukye Robert Lubang part of a group that initiated a conflict in Magwi?

/in ,

By 211 Check Desk

A Facebook post by a page “Sixty 4 Tribes Press” with a photo of Mwijukwe Robert Lubang claiming that he was part of a group who initiated a conflict between pastoralists and farmers in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State is false.

“The conflict between pastoralists and farmers in Magwi County where dozens lost their lives and hundreds of wounded were initiated by active military officers in the SSPDF as shown by their Identification Cards,” reads the caption of the Facebook post that contained both his nationality certificate and Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) Identity Card.

The post did not give further details. 

Screenshot of the misleading post

However, in reply to the post, Mwijukye commented that the information was fake and should be disregarded. “Disregard it. Fake,” he said in a comment on the post.

A statement from Robert’s brother, Lodiong David Lubang says that the picture of the documents shared on social media were taken by an officer at the Nimule border as his brother signed out to go attend the burial of his mother-in-law in Uganda.

“The very photo shared was taken by one clearence officer of his cadre at the Nimule border. Why he released it is not known, but I can assert and say that the information is false,” Mwijukwe’s brother, Lodiong David said in a statement shared with 211 Check.

Media reports on the latest conflict between pastoralists and local farmers by Eye Radio and The City Review quoting Authorities in Eastern Equatoria State could not establish the parties to the conlict.

211 Check has looked into a claim that Mwijukye Robert Lubang is part of a group who initiated a conflict in Magwi and finds it to be false. Lodiong David Lubang, Robert’s brother says Robert is in Uganda attending his mother-in-law’s burial.

#FactsMatter, Don’t be a victim of fake news; instead, let’s fight misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t share content you’re not sure about or don’t know where it came from.

To learn more about our fact-checking process, go to https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, and our team will immediately fact-check it and respond.

Fact-check: Achai Wiir not giving all South Sudanese artists $ 2000 each this year

/in ,

Achai Wiir, via her verified Facebook page, asserted that the post shared about her giving all South Sudanese artists $ 2000 each this year is fake news.

By Kepa Benjamin Edward

A social media post shared on Facebook by Insight Juba, an unregulated blog, claiming that Achai Wiir, a South Sudanese businesswoman and socialite plans to give all South Sudanese artists $ 2000 each this year is false.

The post which first surfaced on the 20th of April 2022 avers that the decision came after a group of Achai Wiir’s close associates informed her of the need to financially help the artists so as to push them to the next level. It got over 1.3K interactions, 295 comments and 20 shares.

“Achai Wiir to give all South Sudanese artists $ 2000 each this year. This comes after a group of her close associates informed her of the need to financially help the artists so as to push them to the next level. The project will be spearheaded by her brother,” reads in part the post that has since been debunked by both Achai Wiir and her brother.

Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post

When the post first unfolded it created a debate on social media about whether it was valid or fake. However, there are multiple reasons to question it.

First, the post isn’t satisfactory with shallow details. It has no specific dates. Second, the claim was not shared on Achai Wiir’s verified Facebook account as the case has been with her previous projects.

Achai Wiir re-shared the post by Insight Juba and stated that the claim was clearly fake news.

Her brother, Alor, told 211 Check via phone that the news was untrue.

It’s not the first time for social media users to question similar posts from Insight Juba. 211 Check has repeatedly debunked posts from them. Recently, they were fact-checked by USA TODAY here.

Conclusion 

211 Check has looked into the post claiming that Achai Wiir wants to give all South Sudanese artists $ 2000 each this year and found it to be false. Achai Wiir posted on her verified Facebook page that the claim was FAKE NEWS.

#FactsMatter, Don’t be a victim of fake news; instead, let’s fight misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t share content you’re not sure about or don’t know where it came from.

To learn more about our fact-checking process, go to https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, and our team will immediately fact-check it and respond.

This fact-check has been produced as part of our incubation program under Code for Africa

Fact-check: This plane with the South Sudan flag and luggage on top is ‘digitally altered’

/in ,

A Facebook post showing a plane with luggage on top, posted by a social media user on the evening of April 21, 2022, is photoshopped and meant for satire.

By William Afani Paul

A Facebook post last evening left the audience talking after claiming to show a plane with a South Sudan flag and extra luggage tied to it.

Posted on April 21, 2022,  the image depicts a plane with a South Sudan flag carrying luggage on top.

“I am back in Juba; those who always react peacefully to my posts may come for their perfumes and other gifts. In fact, the plane could not carry everything, but we tried including extra luggage at the back of the aircraft,” says the caption of the post, which has more than 250 interactions, 150 comments, and 6 shares.

While the Facebook user who posted the photo, is known for his satirical and sarcastic posts, there was no disclaimer on the post that stated the photo was satirical, fake, or meant as a joke.

The post went viral shortly after it was posted. It was shared by a personal profile here (over 25 interactions, 45 comments and a share) and South Sudan Anataban, a controversial Facebook media and news Facebook page. It got over 1,200 interactions, 207 comments and 48 shares.

Screenshot of the misleading post

However, a Google reverse image search shows that the plane belongs to an Iranian airline called “Atrak Air”.

Original photo of the airline

Atrak Air was founded in 1993 with its headquarters in Ekbatan town, Tehran, Iran. The airline finally commenced services in 2013 with flights to three destinations with further services being added. As of summer 2018, Atrak Air suspended its operations.

The original image of the plane was digitally altered to include the South Sudan flag and the luggage tied to it.

CONCLUSION

211 Check has looked into an image in a Facebook post of a plane with the South Sudan flag and luggage tied to it and finds it to be digitally altered.

#FactsMatter, Don’t be a victim of fake news; instead, let’s fight misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t share content you’re not sure about or don’t know where it came from.

To learn more about our fact-checking process, go to https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, and our team will immediately fact-check it and respond.

This fact-check has been produced as part of our incubation program under Code for Africa

Fact-check: This image does not show vehicles submerged in floodwater following today’s rain in Juba

/in ,

The image shows an incident in South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg, when it was hit by deadly floods in November 2016 with local media reporting the death of several people.

By Ochaya Jackson

A photo shared on Facebook this afternoon by South Sudan TMZ, a Facebook and some personal profile claiming to show vehicles submerged in floodwater following today’s rain in Juba is false.

“Juba is booming walai after heavy rain poured this morning,” claims a Facebook user in a caption that followed the misleading image.

Screenshot of misleading Facebook post
Screenshot of misleading Facebook post

A Google reverse image search returns several results of when the image was previously used especially in stories related to South Africa.

The earliest version was when the photo was run with a story by Africa News about a flood on October 11th, 2016, in South Africa. The flood happened in Johannesburg, South Africa’s capital (Gauteng province).

The same photo also ran with a story on January 19th, 2019, about impacts of flood causes and prevention in South Africa.

The photo was used on January 10, 2022, by this website, in an article on the flood causes and prevention in South Africa.

Again City News ran the footage of the image on its YouTube channel on November 10th, 2016, regarding the flood in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Conclusion:

False. The image does not show vehicles submerged in floodwater following today’s rain in Juba. It shows an incident in South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg, when it was hit by deadly floods in November 2016 with local media reporting the death of several people.

#FactsMatter, Don’t be a victim of fake news; instead, let’s fight misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t share content you’re not sure about or don’t know where it came from.

To learn more about our fact-checking process, go to https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, and our team will immediately fact-check it and respond.

This fact-check has been produced as part of our incubation program under Code for Africa.

Fact-check: Civil Service Commission not recruiting. The job advertisement is a hoax

/in ,

The “Civil Service Commission,” though provided for in the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan has not been established yet. The Ministry of Public Service does its role.

By 211 Check Desk

A job advertisement making rounds on social media claiming that a so-called “Civil Service Commission” in the Republic of South Sudan is recruiting over 6,500 potential candidates to fill vacant positions in various government parastatals is a hoax.

The advertisement which first appeared on Facebook on Monday, 18th April 2022 states that job applicants should send their detailed CVs and cover letters to an email before 25th April 2022.

Fake Job Advertisement

However, the job advertisement is a hoax because it doesn’t come from an existing and legitimate government body. The government announces job openings via state media and public notice boards.

The “Civil Service Commission” though provided for in the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan has not been established yet. The Ministry of public service does its role.

Conclusion:

211 Check has looked into a job advertisement claiming that a Civil Service Commission in South Sudan is recruiting over 6,500 workers and finds it to be a hoax.

#FactsMatter, Don’t be a victim of fake news; instead, let’s fight misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t share content you’re not sure about or don’t know where it came from.

To learn more about our fact-checking process, go to https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, and our team will immediately fact-check it and respond.

This fact-check has been produced as part of our incubation program under Code for Africa.