Man Did Not Die From Eating Durians After Vaccination, Says KKM

KKM debunks viral WhatsApp story

It’s common knowledge that durians should not be paired with certain foods. For example, there was a recent incident involving the infamous durian-and-beer pairing that sent individuals to the hospital. Now with vaccinations well underway in Malaysia, a story has gone viral online claiming that someone died after eating durians after getting vaccinated.

This viral story, however, has since been classified as fake news by the Ministry of Health (KKM) on their social media pages. Investigation findings by health authorities showed that the man passed away from a heart attack, and not from eating durians after getting vaccinated as alleged.

Victim had a heart attack, and did not die of eating durians after vaccination

On 22nd and 23rd May 2021, KKM took to their official Facebook and Twitter social media pages to debunk a WhatsApp message containing a false story that had been circulating rampantly on the messaging app, as well as online on social media platforms.

A screenshot of the message shared by KKM showed the unknown source warning “family and friends” not to consume durians before or after getting their COVID-19 vaccination because they allegedly knew of someone who died because they got vaccinated and ate durian the day after.

The message also warns the public to be aware and be careful, because ignorance can lead to unfortunate circumstances.

However, KKM has since confirmed that the information is fake, and advised the public to cooperate and not spread false information on their social media accounts.

Image credit: @KKMPutrajaya

According to a report by Harian Metro on 22nd June, the man, who was the subject of the viral message, died from a heart attack. Investigations by health officers at the scene classified his death as a sudden death (SDR).

The incident is said to have taken place at a restaurant at Taman Sri Bintang in KL, where the victim had been waiting for his food when he fell unconscious.

Fake news of man dying because he ate durians after vaccination goes viral

Spreading false information can lead to serious consequences, which is why we should never do so – especially during a pandemic where fake news can cause unrest among the community. As KKM suggested, we should all exercise caution and be skeptical of stories on the Internet that may turn out to be fake news, such as this one involving durians and vaccinations.

We should also always check our sources before forwarding information such as these, with our loved ones or others.