Rumours of flesh-eating bananas in Mozambique

A hoax e-mail and text   message warning people   against eating bananas for the   next three weeks went viral as   people feared being infected by necrotising fasciitis, or skin-eating disease.
The bacteria can destroy skin, fat and tissue covering the  muscles.
The messages also advised   people to see a doctor if they developed a fever after eating the killer fruit.
Especially bananas from KwaZulu-Natal in neighbouring South Africa carried the virus, according to the hoax.
Banana sales in the capital Maputo fell sharply despite the fact that Mozambique does not import bananas from its neighbour.
In a separate statement South Africa’s agriculture ministry denounced the messages as a hoax.
It strongly advised against burning the skin around the supposed infection, as suggested in the message. — Sapa.