Claim of AIDS spreading in Texas pool defies science, evidence | Fact check
AIDS spreading in Texas community pool is impossible | Fact check USA TODAY
The claim: People contracted AIDS from a swimming pool in Texas
An April 27 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shares a screenshot that includes a map of a neighborhood in Arlington, Texas, captioned “No pools for me this summer.”
The screenshot reads, “HOA Pool Infected with AIDS. … 4th person tested positive this week. Make sure everyone that visited this pool gets checked. The pool wasn’t cared for and chemicals were not used.”
The post was shared more than 200 times in a week and a half.
Our rating: False
This is impossible. While a report was made to at least one government agency claiming it had happened at the pool, it was investigated by the city of Arlington and found to have no basis. Decades of research have shown that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, cannot survive in the water and cannot be transmitted in hot tubs or pools.
Fragile virus cannot survive in water
Medical experts and researchers have known for decades that HIV cannot be transmitted through water since the virus cannot survive long outside of the body. Most transmission comes from unprotected sex or shared needles or syringes, although it can also spread in other ways, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The Human Immunodeficiency Virus – HIV – is a fragile virus that cannot survive outside the human body for long. Therefore, it cannot spread through water or by sharing swimming pools, hot tubs or other recreational facilities,” Douglas Loveday, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, told USA TODAY in an email.
The CDC had a campaign in 1991 stressing that HIV and AIDS were not transmissible through routine day-to-day contact, with posters including one emphasizing that AIDS could not be contracted from a public pool. A 1993 study specifically looking at how long HIV could survive in water found cells containing the virus could not be detected after five minutes in tap water.
Medical centers at Johns Hopkins, Stanford and the University ofRochester all state on their websites that HIV cannot be spread through community swimming pools.
Our fact-check sources:
- Susan Schrock, May 8, Email exchange with USA TODAY
- Douglas Loveday, May 8, Email exchange with USA TODAY
- CDC, updated April 24, Ways HIV Can Be Transmitted
- CDC, visited May 8, You won’t get AIDS from a public pool
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 1993, Survival of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), HIV-infected lymphocytes, and poliovirus in water
- Johns Hopkins Medicine, accessed May 8, H
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases.
- SDG 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Indicator for SDG 3.3: Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 population.
- Indicator for SDG 6.1: Percentage of population using safely managed drinking water services.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
SDGs Targets Indicators SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being SDG 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases. Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 population. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation SDG 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. Percentage of population using safely managed drinking water services. Copyright: Dive into this article, curated with care by SDG Investors Inc. Our advanced AI technology searches through vast amounts of data to spotlight how we are all moving forward with the Sustainable Development Goals. While we own the rights to this content, we invite you to share it to help spread knowledge and spark action on the SDGs.
Fuente: usatoday.com
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