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False: Chewing the roots of an elephant apple tree can cure rabies Health experts have warned there is no cure for rabies once symptoms of the infection appear, contradicting false posts in Myanmar that advise people not to go to the hospital and instead cure themselves by chewing on the root of an elephant apple tree. Experts say rabies -- usually spread through a bite or scratch from an infected animal -- is nearly always fatal once clinical signs appear but its onset can be prevented with immediate medical care. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Image shows a North Korean national identity card issued to South Korean lawmaker An image has been repeatedly shared in social media posts that falsely claim it shows a North Korean national identity card issued to a South Korean lawmaker and accusing him of holding public office while bearing citizenship from the North. In fact, the image shows a North Korean visa issued to the lawmaker, a son of a former South Korean president who pursued an engagement policy towards the North. He posted the photo of the visa on Facebook in July 2018 when he visited Pyongyang. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

False: Video of a bridge submerged by waves caused by Cyclone Biparjoy. Footage of waves pummelling what appears to be a bridge have been shared hundreds of times in social media posts that falsely claim it shows the impact of Cyclone Biparjoy on the coastline of a state in northwestern India in June 2023. While Biparjoy -- which means "disaster" in Bengali -- did hammer coastal communities with powerful winds, storm surges and lashing rain, the video in fact shows a jetty during high tide on an island off India's southwestern coast almost six years earlier. The person who shot the video told AFP it was filmed on the island of Minicoy in August 2017 and such sights are a common occurrence there. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)

Public Health Fakes:  in European countries, the number of HIV cases has sharply increased due to refugees from Ukraine. Issue #39 Russian Telegram channels continue to discredit Ukrainian refugees abroad. Propagandists claim a “sharp” increase in HIV/AIDS cases in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. In publications, they add that Ukraine has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection. Therefore, th (Source: Vox Ukraine)