Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all
--- Santosh Helekar [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Gabrielbab, But I am puzzled by the fact that you wrote: Sure do. In response to the following from me: The point is it is wrong to disseminate urban legends and hoaxes through chain letters and spam email.Do you disagree? I will assume that it is a typing error, and that you actually meant you agree with me. Santoshbab, Yes - it was indeed a typo on my part. I meant I agree with your view that spread of hoaxes is wrong. Cheers, Gabriel. Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies. http://au.movies.yahoo.com
Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all - A True Story
Dear Santosh, Here is a third post, in quick succession. :-) Thank you for taking this opportunity to educate the members of this forum about the possibilities of contracting a disease from a needle injury. I appreciate it and I'm sure all who read your posts appreciate the information contained therein. Thank God the risk is quite low, as these injuries do occur, especially in a hospital setting, as I'm sure you already know. Mario's original post might or might not be 100% false, still I appreciate that he was sincere in his attempt to pass on a warning to the members of this forum. Is this a Mars/Venus moment we're having? Do you focus only on the content while I focus only on his intent? Santosh, no one believes it is alright to spread made up stories of intentional harm on public mailing lists if they are exaggerated versions of isolated, accidental, real occurrences. Do you think that was Mario's intent? I do not. Warm regards, Viviana Santosh Helekar wrote: --- Viviana [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Am I not allowed to post my opinions or comments on Goanet because I donate some time to the cause each day? Dear Vivian, I wish you posted more often. I am glad I succeeded in eliciting two posts from you in quick succession. WRT to Mario's original post, my feeling is this: Why would anyone be inclined to impugn the integrity or intelligence of a man who was making a sincere attempt to warn his fellow Goanetters of a hazard?? I have not impugned the integrity or intelligence of anyone. I have merely stated and substantiated the fact that the message that was forwarded was entirely a hoax. I have also expressed my concern about the defensiveness that it has generated. I have not claimed that the forwarding was intentional. In any case, I have taken this thread as an opportunity to report whatever pertinent facts I know and could find out about this issue. Not a possible hazard, but a real hazard: I know it is a hazard because I was present once when it happened. As I have stated before the risk of catching HIV from a discarded needle in a public place is extremely low to negligible. Whether Mario's post was 100% true or not isn't the point, there is at least some truth in the warning, as these injuries do occur. From my standpoint, that post is entirely the point. It was 100% untrue - a total fabrication. But I do not hold Mario responsible for its origin. He was clearly duped by it. I only have a problem with the notion that it is alright to spread made up stories of intentional harm on public mailing lists if they are exaggerated versions of isolated, accidental, real occurrences. WRT Goanet's part in encouraging urban myths and legends, we administrators cannot and do not want to check the veracity of every post. All I ask is, please do not try to defend a post when it has been shown to be an urban myth. Who among us would be permitted to post under those conditions? It is very easy for any netter to find out if an email he/she received is a chain letter hoax or not. They can just do a simple search on the Snopes.com site. Are you correct 100% of the time? No. Cheers, Santosh
Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all - A True Story
--- Viviana [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Am I not allowed to post my opinions or comments on Goanet because I donate some time to the cause each day? Dear Vivian, I wish you posted more often. I am glad I succeeded in eliciting two posts from you in quick succession. WRT to Mario's original post, my feeling is this: Why would anyone be inclined to impugn the integrity or intelligence of a man who was making a sincere attempt to warn his fellow Goanetters of a hazard?? I have not impugned the integrity or intelligence of anyone. I have merely stated and substantiated the fact that the message that was forwarded was entirely a hoax. I have also expressed my concern about the defensiveness that it has generated. I have not claimed that the forwarding was intentional. In any case, I have taken this thread as an opportunity to report whatever pertinent facts I know and could find out about this issue. Not a possible hazard, but a real hazard: I know it is a hazard because I was present once when it happened. As I have stated before the risk of catching HIV from a discarded needle in a public place is extremely low to negligible. Whether Mario's post was 100% true or not isn't the point, there is at least some truth in the warning, as these injuries do occur. From my standpoint, that post is entirely the point. It was 100% untrue - a total fabrication. But I do not hold Mario responsible for its origin. He was clearly duped by it. I only have a problem with the notion that it is alright to spread made up stories of intentional harm on public mailing lists if they are exaggerated versions of isolated, accidental, real occurrences. WRT Goanet's part in encouraging urban myths and legends, we administrators cannot and do not want to check the veracity of every post. All I ask is, please do not try to defend a post when it has been shown to be an urban myth. Who among us would be permitted to post under those conditions? It is very easy for any netter to find out if an email he/she received is a chain letter hoax or not. They can just do a simple search on the Snopes.com site. Are you correct 100% of the time? No. Cheers, Santosh
Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all
Gabrielbab, I think I have said all I had to say on this issue. I would only add that it is appropriate for health authorities to run tests for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV infection every time somebody gets stuck with a needle or a sharp surgical instrument, as a precautionary as well as documentational measure. And there is definitely a significant risk of catching HIV by repeated needle sharing in drug users. So the needle exchange program has a role to play. But I am puzzled by the fact that you wrote: Sure do. In response to the following from me: The point is it is wrong to disseminate urban legends and hoaxes through chain letters and spam email.Do you disagree? I will assume that it is a typing error, and that you actually meant you agree with me. Cheers, Santosh
Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all - A True Story
My Dear Santosh, Am I not allowed to post my opinions or comments on Goanet because I donate some time to the cause each day? I don't believe I signed my name as an administrator, only as a private citizen and a member of this forum. Is it your opinion that Herman, Fred, Bosco and I should remain silent? WRT to Mario's original post, my feeling is this: Why would anyone be inclined to impugn the integrity or intelligence of a man who was making a sincere attempt to warn his fellow Goanetters of a hazard?? Not a possible hazard, but a real hazard: I know it is a hazard because I was present once when it happened. Whether Mario's post was 100% true or not isn't the point, there is at least some truth in the warning, as these injuries do occur. WRT Goanet's part in encouraging urban myths and legends, we administrators cannot and do not want to check the veracity of every post. Who among us would be permitted to post under those conditions? Are you correct 100% of the time? Warm regards, Viviana Santosh Helekar wrote: --- Viviana [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: She can tell you that Mario's warning is no hoax. I cannot believe that even Goanet administrators are now trying to defend a fabricated chain letter. I thought it was amply clear to everybody that Mario's warning was a hoax. Vivian, have you read what was written in his forwarded chain letter email? Do you stand by its authenticity? Please ask your local health authorities, the CDC or any of the internet anti-spam watch-dog groups. I am sorry, but I think it is your responsibility to do so before categorically stating that Mario's warning was not a hoax, in this public forum, of which you are an administrator. Here are three other sites besides Snopes, Sophos and CDC, which state that it is a hoax: http://www.hoax-slayer.com/hiv-needle-hoax.html http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/hivseats.html http://www.f-secure.com/hoaxes/needle.shtml Please tell them that you think it is not a hoax, and ask them why they disagree with you. Does a bogus chain letter cease to be a hoax just because its contents bear a slight resemblance to just a part of something that happened to one of your friends? I think it is important for us to know if you and other Goanet administrators are now going to try to defend the veracity of fake chain letter emails based on such criteria. Does Goanet want to encourage the propagation of urban legends and internet rumors? Cheers, Santosh
Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all
--- Santosh Helekar [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Are these authorities spreading fabricated stories about needles in cinema theatres through chain letters? If they are doing that then they are propagating false information. Not through chain letters, but via published documents (as I've pointed out the URLs before), news reports and the like. Every time there is a needle stick injury in a train or on the beach (thankfully not yet elsewhere) it is reported in the papers. It is usually reported that the affected person has to undergo tests and wait a period of time before he/she can be declared free of infection from a needle stick injury. Are the media to blame? (Note that in this country, the govt, in its wisdom, issues free replacements (meant to be an exchange, but it rarely happens) to druggies to help keep the spread of disease, due to needle-sharing, down. Unfortunately, it means that there's more of them being discarded around.) The point is it is wrong to disseminate urban legends and hoaxes through chain letters and spam email. Do you disagree? Sure do. Gabriel. Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies. http://au.movies.yahoo.com
Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all
--- Santosh Helekar [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: For a freshly withdrawn needle that has come in contact with infected blood the HIV risk is 0.4%. The risk of Hepatitis C infection in this way is 3%. Thank you Santosh. That means the risk of catching HIV / Hep C through sharing needles among drug users is small? Cheers, Gabriel. Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies. http://au.movies.yahoo.com
Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all - A True Story
--- Viviana [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: She can tell you that Mario's warning is no hoax. I cannot believe that even Goanet administrators are now trying to defend a fabricated chain letter. I thought it was amply clear to everybody that Mario's warning was a hoax. Vivian, have you read what was written in his forwarded chain letter email? Do you stand by its authenticity? Please ask your local health authorities, the CDC or any of the internet anti-spam watch-dog groups. I am sorry, but I think it is your responsibility to do so before categorically stating that Mario's warning was not a hoax, in this public forum, of which you are an administrator. Here are three other sites besides Snopes, Sophos and CDC, which state that it is a hoax: http://www.hoax-slayer.com/hiv-needle-hoax.html http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/hivseats.html http://www.f-secure.com/hoaxes/needle.shtml Please tell them that you think it is not a hoax, and ask them why they disagree with you. Does a bogus chain letter cease to be a hoax just because its contents bear a slight resemblance to just a part of something that happened to one of your friends? I think it is important for us to know if you and other Goanet administrators are now going to try to defend the veracity of fake chain letter emails based on such criteria. Does Goanet want to encourage the propagation of urban legends and internet rumors? Cheers, Santosh
Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all
--- Gabriel de Figueiredo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Therefore, are the Health Dept of the Queensland Govt(publisher of Accidental Needle Stick Injury in Public Places), the South Eastern Sydney Area Health Service of New South Wales (publishes the NSW Needlestick Injury Hotline), the Occupational Health and Safety reporting needle stick hazards, an MP lobbying for retractable-needle syringes, all guilty of propagating false information, in your opinion? Are these authorities spreading fabricated stories about needles in cinema theatres through chain letters? If they are doing that then they are propagating false information. The point is it is wrong to disseminate urban legends and hoaxes through chain letters and spam email. Do you disagree? I'd like to know if the chances increase dramatically if the needle has been freshly used and discarded? In the semi-darkness of a cinema or in the confines of a train? The risk of contracting the HIV virus through discarded needles in public places is extremely low. This virus cannot survive for more than a few minutes on an infected needle. So in general, the risk from needles lying around for more than an hour is negligible. For a freshly withdrawn needle that has come in contact with infected blood the HIV risk is 0.4%. The risk of Hepatitis C infection in this way is 3%. There is not a single published report in the medical literature about anyone catching the HIV virus through a discarded needle in a public place. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which keep track of such things have not received any report of HIV infection through needle stick injury outside of the medical or hospital settings. Here is a CDC statement regarding this issue: http://www.cdc.gov/doc.do/id/0900f3ec80226b9c Cheers, Santosh
[Goanet]Goanet] A horrific warning to all - A True Story
It is also hard to believe why anyone would impugn Mario's sincerity or intelligence because he posted what others have referred to as a hoax. I can assure you that at least in one case a needle was inserted into a seat cushion and pointing UP at San Francisco International Airport in the late 1990's. My good friend and co-worker sat on it, it drew blood, and she was tested for AIDS and hepatitis for the next six months or so. The worst part of this hoax is that she was at that time in treatment for very aggressive explosive breast cancer, had already undergone a double mastectomy, a hysterectomy and an oopharectomy, AND chemotherapy and radiation. This hoax almost sent her around the bend. Thank God I was with her when it happened and was able to calm her down, reassuring her, as others have mentioned here on this forum, that the chances of contracting a blood borne disease from an OLD needle are indeed slim. Mary Jane is alive and well, thank God and Stanford University Medical Center, raising her four sons (their father was a US Air pilot, killed in a crash). She can tell you that Mario's warning is no hoax. Viviana Santosh Helekar wrote: --- Mario Goveia [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Whether the memo I circulated was false or not, all it did was to warn people to watch their behinds when they sit in a public place. What has amazed me is how this simple common sense warning, about a horrific possibility whether unintentional or deliberate. Gabriel de Figueredo wrote: The original may have been a spoof or not. It is hard to understand why anybody would be so defensive about an alarmist chain letter hoax. There is no uncertainty about its falsity or spoofiness, whatsoever. This was indeed a spoof of the most despicable variety. Many anti-spam watch-dog sites and public health agencies, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have issued statements against the dissemination of this urban legend. The general fact that there is a small risk of blood-borne viral diseases from discarded needles, is no cover for this pathetic act of fabrication. Cheers, Santosh
Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all
--- Mario Goveia [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Whether the memo I circulated was false or not, all it did was to warn people to watch their behinds when they sit in a public place. What has amazed me is how this simple common sense warning, about a horrific possibility whether unintentional or deliberate. Gabriel de Figueredo wrote: The original may have been a spoof or not. It is hard to understand why anybody would be so defensive about an alarmist chain letter hoax. There is no uncertainty about its falsity or spoofiness, whatsoever. This was indeed a spoof of the most despicable variety. Many anti-spam watch-dog sites and public health agencies, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have issued statements against the dissemination of this urban legend. The general fact that there is a small risk of blood-borne viral diseases from discarded needles, is no cover for this pathetic act of fabrication. Cheers, Santosh
Re: [Goanet]A horrific warning to all
Mervyn, Whether the memo I circulated was false or not, all it did was to warn people to watch their behinds when they sit in a public place. What has amazed me is how this simple common sense warning, about a horrific possibility whether unintentional or deliberate, has gotten your shorts in a twist, along with George Pinto and Gabe Menezes. Gabriel de Figueredo has already pointed out that the warning was hardly farfetched. We're talking about an incurable and fatal disease here, one that everyone can avoid with a minimum of care. --- Mervyn Lobo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Mario Goveia [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A young girl, engaged and about to be married in a couple of months, was pricked while the movie was going on. The tag with the needle had the message Welcome to the World of HIV family. Mario, My guess is that you got trapped into spreading this hoax as: 1) You did not understand the part of protecting your behind ;-) or maybe 2) the reference to being pricked was the trigger? Mervyn2.0 __ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
Re: [Goanet]A horrific warning to all
Mario Goveia [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A young girl, engaged and about to be married in a couple of months, was pricked while the movie was going on. The tag with the needle had the message Welcome to the World of HIV family. Mario, My guess is that you got trapped into spreading this hoax as: 1) You did not understand the part of protecting your behind ;-) or maybe 2) the reference to being pricked was the trigger? Mervyn2.0 __ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
Re: [Goanet] A horrific warning to all
--- George Pinto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This is false, see http://www.snopes.com/horrors/madmen/pinprick.htm Other anti-spam sites have also exposed variations of this horrible hoax. Here is one such site: http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/hoaxes/hivneedles.html The cinema theatre changes location and name. The Disease Control Centre also relocates from Paris to Melbourne. Only the IAS officer, S. Dinesh Gopinath, who is supposed to be the Director of Medical Research in Chennai appears to be unique to the present variation. I wonder if his inclusion can serve as a test of the gullibility of the recipients of this chain letter. Cheers, Santosh --- Mario Goveia [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: S. Dinesh Gopinath, I.A.S, Director of Medical Research Div, Chennai. Subject: AIDS
Re: [Goanet]A horrific warning to all
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 09:21:56 -0800 (PST), Mario Goveia [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: S. Dinesh Gopinath, I.A.S, Director of Medical Research Div, Chennai. Subject: AIDS Dear Friends, Kindly take a couple of minutes to go thru this mail. If useful may advise others also . Please pass this on to others. This happened in Paris recently and may happen elsewhere also. A few weeks ago, in a movie theatre, a person felt something poking from her seat. When she got up to see what it was, she found a needle sticking out of the seat with a note attached saying You have just been infected by HIV. RESPONSE: I reckon you have been spoofed and want to return the favour by spoofing the rest of us!
[Goanet]A horrific warning to all
From: S. Dinesh Gopinath, I.A.S, Director of Medical Research Div, Chennai. Subject: AIDS Dear Friends, Kindly take a couple of minutes to go thru this mail. If useful may advise others also . Please pass this on to others. This happened in Paris recently and may happen elsewhere also. A few weeks ago, in a movie theatre, a person felt something poking from her seat. When she got up to see what it was, she found a needle sticking out of the seat with a note attached saying You have just been infected by HIV. The Disease Control Centre (in Paris) reports many similar events in many other cities recently. All tested needles were HIV Positive. The Centre also reports that needles have been found in cash dispensers at public banking machines. We ask everyone to use extreme caution when faced with this kind of situation. All public chairs/seats should be inspected with vigilance and caution before use. A careful visual inspection should be enough. In addition, they ask that each of you pass this message along to all members of your family and your friends of the potential danger. Recently, one doctor has narrated a somewhat similar instance that happened to one of his patients at the Priya Cinema in Delhi. A young girl, engaged and about to be married in a couple of months, was pricked while the movie was going on. The tag with the needle had the message Welcome to the World of HIV family. Though the doctors told her family that it takes about 6 months before the virus grows strong enough to start damaging the system and a healthy victim could survive about 5-6 years, the girl died in 4 months, perhaps more because of the Shock thought. We all have to be careful at public places, rest God help! Just think about saving a life by forwarding this message. Please, take a few seconds of your time to pass along. With Regards, S. Dinesh Gopinath, I.A.S, Director of Medical Research Div, Chennai.
