JEDDAH, 12 April 2007 — The Ministry of Health strongly denounced yesterday rumors spread by SMS about the entry of millions of HIV-infected yellow melons into the Kingdom through the Northern border. The message was spread among Saudis and expatriates and has stirred fears for the past few days. A source at the Ministry of Health said that the message was totally false, adding, “HIV can not be transmitted in food or drinks.” In Jeddah at the fruit and vegetable market, many people believed the rumor and decided not to buy the melons, according to Ahmed Al-Yamani, a merchant at the market. He said that because of the rumor, people had switched to buying watermelons instead of the yellow ones. He said that he usually sells about 150 yellow melons daily but for the last two days, he has sold only 20. A local doctor explained, “The three major routes of HIV transmission are unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated needles, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth.”