My mother recently received an e-mail forward from a friend who is a nurse practitioner. The content of the e-mail was that you can get necrotizing fasciitits from wearing bras that haven't been washed after purchase. The e-mail contained a number of photos of real breast conditions that were claimed to be n.f. of the breast. My mother was pretty upset and started to research this more on the Internet to get more information. Then she stumbled across the About.com Urban Legends section refuting this hoax e-mail. That made her even more upset.
Nurses can't really do anything about hoax e-mails. However, you as a nurse can stop spreading fear about health by researching information before you pass it on. Any nurse should be able to investigate infection control issues enough to debunk this bra hoax, and a nurse practitioner should be able to debunk it by diagnosing the photos as whatever they are--cancer, furuncles...
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