Coronavirus outbreak alias COVID-19 disease wey dey affect more and more kontries around di world don make some pipo dey give different heath advise online as e be say di disease neva get any cure.
We wan torchlight some of di popular myths or fake claims wey pipo don share online about wetin fit cure di virus and explain wetin science tok concerning di claim.
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1. Garlic
Plenti posts for facebook advice pipo say make dem dey chop garlic to prevent infection.
World Health Organization (WHO) tok say while garlic na “healthy food wey fit get some antimicrobial properties”, e no get any evidence or proof wey show say if pesin chop am, e fit protect dem from di new coronavirus.
Also too much garlic fit sometimes cause harm to pesin bodi, for example, South China Morning Post report one tori of one woman wey dem rush go hospital for treatment sake of say her throat swell up afta she chop 1.5kg of raw garlic.
We know, in general, say eating fruit and vegetables and drinking water dey good for staying healthy. But no evidence don show say some kian food fit help fight dis particular virus.
2. Heat and avoiding ice cream
Plenti advise don full social media wey say heat dey kill coronavirus, and so make pipo dey drink hot water, take hot baths, or use hairdryers.
One fake post wey no truly come from Unicef but wey plenti pipo from different kontries copy and paste – claim say drinking hot water and exposure to sun go kill di virus, plus make pipo avoid ice cream
Charlotte Gornitzka, wey dey for Unicef on coronavirus misinformation, tok say:
“Dat recent lie-lie online message… wey pipo claim say na Unicef post am, wey dey advise pipo to avoid ice cream and oda cold foods to help prevent di disease. no be true at all, na big lie.”
We know say di flu virus no dey survive well outside di body during hot weather, but we neva get evidence wey prove how heat dey affect di new coronavirus. Gornitzka, tok
One sabi pesin, Professor Sally Bloomfield say Trying to heat your body or expose yoursef to di sun – to prevent di virus – no dey work at all. Once di virus dey your body, e no get any way wey you fit take kill am- your body just need to fight am off.
Outside di body, “to actively kill di virus you need temperatures of around 60 degrees”, and dis dey far hotter than any bath or sauna. Professor Bloomfield tok.
Washing bed linen or towels at 60 degrees na good idea, as dis fit kill any virus for di material. But no be good option for washing your skin.
And bathing hot water or drinking hot liquids no go change your actual body temperature, wey remain stable unless you already dey sick.
3. Drinking water every 15 minutes
One post, wey plenti pipo for Facebook copy and paste quote one “Japanese doctor” wey recommend say make pipo dey drink water every 15 minutes to flush out any virus wey fit don enta di mouth. One version of dis post inside Arabic language don get more than 250,000 shares.
Professor Bloomfield tok say no evidence don show say drinking water every 15 minutes go help.
Airborne virus dey enta di body through di respiratory tract wen you breathe in. Some of dem fit go inside your mouth, and even drinking water no go prevent you from catching di virus.
Anyway shall, drinking water and to stay hydrated na generally good medical advice.
4. ‘Miracle minerals’
One YouTube pesin, Jordan Sather, wey get thousands of followers, claim say “miracle mineral supplement”, wey dem dey call MMS, fit “wipe out” coronavirus.
Di tin contain chlorine dioxide – bleaching agent.
Sather and odas promote di substance even before di coronavirus outbreak, and for January e come tweet say, “no be only say chlorine dioxide (aka MMS) dey strong for cancer cell killer, e fit wipe out coronavirus too”.
Last year, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sama warning about di health danger wey dey if pesin drink MMS. Health authorities for oda kontries also bring out alerts about dis substance.
Di FDA say “dem no know of any research wey show say dis products dey safe or fit treat any illness”.
Dem sama warning say drinking dis substance fit cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and symptoms of serious dehyrdation.
