Misinformation and hysteria over saliva have resurfaced again as South Australians waded into the Du Plessiss ball tampering debate.

The South African cricket captain’s controversial habit of polishing the ball with his saliva earned him a fine, and raised a storm of letters to The Advertiser. Among them was one titled “Dirty Saliva”, from Robert McRitchie, which proclaimed dramatically, and wrongly, that “SALIVA is a perfect medium for transmission of infectious viral diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, just to name two.”

Regrettably, no attempt was made by the paper’s editors to set the facts straight: that, revolting though Du Plessis’ polishing technique might be, it could not be a source of HIV or hepatitis C as none of these diseases are transmitted via saliva.

Stepping up to the plate Stepping in where the editors failed to tread, Hepatitis SA, SAMESH, SHineSA, and the Victorian Aids Council (VAC) have written a joint letter to the editor refuting Robert McRitchie’s claims.