Can anything beat the spread of coronavirus? Yes, it’s the spread of misinformation.
In the age of social media, rumours generally spread like wildfire. Just like other parts of the world, lots of rumours have been spread in Bangladesh surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic through different social media sites such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber.
Here, we will disprove some of the common coronavirus myths that went viral in Bangladesh in the recent past.
Warm weather does not restrict the spread of the virus
"Don't worry, brother; in Bangladesh, the virus won't affect us much because of humid weather conditions."
If you live in Bangladesh, the probability of you hearing this statement either from a friend or from a member of your family or from your Uber driver at least once in the last few months is very high. Moreover, most of the people actually started believing this after a video of a well-reputed doctor went viral in which he said that corona doesn't spread in humid conditions.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 can be transmitted in all areas, including hot and humid ones. The best thing one can do to protect themselves from being affected is to maintain the social distancing rules strictly and washing hands frequently.
So, by no means, we should get complacent by thinking that we would be safer because of the humid conditions in our country.
Inhaling ethanol vapour is risky, it doesn't cure corona
Few days ago, a very well reputed private TV channel ran a segment with the title "Ethanol will cure coronavirus" citing a professor of the Bangladesh Agricultural University.
But there is still no proof or research to support the above hypothesis. Rather, it can dehydrate our respiratory system and might end up increasing the possibility of virus contamination. When someone inhales ethanol vapour, there is always a chance for it to spread in our blood through our lungs which can be very hazardous.
Though the team of the Bangladesh Agricultural University could not show any proof behind their findings, there is however a research paper published in March 2020 which suggested that controlled ethanol vapour inhalation might disinfect coronavirus. The research was conducted by a Japanese professor named Tsumoru Shintake. However, he warned that people should not apply this as it is not proven yet.
Contacted, MD Nazrul Islam, former professor of the Department of Virology at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), said that the information that ethanol vapour cures corona is not backed up by enough evidence.
He also added that inhaling ethanol vapour might damage the local epidermal cells of a human body.
"A doctor or an academician should not misuse their position by saying baseless things to the already confused people," he observed.
The Business Post also spoke to Dr Md Habibur Rahman, Associate Professor at the National Heart Foundation Hospital.
He said inhaling ethanol vapour at a certain dose with proper precautions might be effective, but still, it is not proven.
So as long as it is not an established fact, people should not try this at home because the fact that ethanol is highly corrosive might cause more harm than good, he warned.
Drinking Alcohol will not cure coronavirus infection
Just like all the other rumours, if you live in Bangladesh, you have probably seen a random "party animal" spreading the "good news" on his Facebook wall about how drinking alcohol cures coronavirus. But just like all the other pieces of misinformation, this statement too doesn’t have any proof supporting it. Rather, drinking alcohol always has its fair share of health hazards.
This rumour has been proven very deadly in Iran where hundreds died drinking methanol amid fake reports that drinking high-proof alcohol is a remedy for COVID-19.
Hot water doesn't kill it
There is also a very popular rumour in our country that drinking or bathing with hot water cures corona. It is said that the virus can be killed by water over 27°C.
In this regard, former BSMMU professor Nazrul said it is also a very unrealistic claim.
He said the normal temperature of the body is around 37°C.
If this myth were true, people wouldn’t have fallen sick in the first place, he added.
Once the virus gets into our respiratory system, it is impossible to kill it by drinking hot water, added Dr Habibur Rahman.
But the virus stays in our throat for a few days. This is the time when we suffer from severe throat pain. At this time, if we drink hot water, it might wash the virus out. However, this is also not a proven theory, he said. But there is no harm in drinking warm water, he opined.
Moreover, the WHO website clearly states that taking frequent hot baths would not cure coronavirus; rather it can be harmful to the skin.
Drinking a lot of water or blow-drying your face will not kill coronavirus
Most of us have probably been told by our parents or senior members in our family to drink a lot of water and frequently blow-dry our face to save ourselves from catching coronavirus. Though frequently drinking water is good for our health anyways, it doesn’t save us from coronavirus. On the other hand, frequently blow drying our face, mouth or nose can cause damage without having any impact on coronavirus.
Hydroxychloroquine or antibiotics is not a proven cure
Many doctors all around the world are suggesting the use of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients. This drug has been promoted by many world leaders including Donald Trump despite the criticisms of the WHO.
In this regard, former professor of virology at BSMMU Nazrul Islam said that still there is no universally accepted paper which suggests the use of this drug in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Rather the side effects of this drug are very dangerous, even deadly, ranging from toxicity to heart attack, he said.
When coronavirus enters our body, it slowly destroys haemoglobin and reduces iron from our body, clarified Dr Habibur Rahman.
The antimalarial drug stops this phenomenon. For this reason, it has been endorsed by some of the world leaders. However, its side effects can be deadly for someone with a pre-existing heart condition, he warned.
There is also a possibility for heart allergy if this drug is not used properly.
“As WHO has not yet endorsed this drug, this should not be a wise move for us to use hydroxychloroquine,” he said.
Many people in our country also believe that antibiotics can be a cure for corona. But not just corona, antibiotics do not cure any viral infections, it only kills bacteria.
Spraying chlorine all over the body doesn't kill the virus
Many people are spraying chlorine all over their body to disinfect themselves. But according to the WHO website, this does not work; rather it can be harmful to our eyes and skin. On the website, it is also stated that one can use chlorine to disinfect the surface, but only after taking proper precautions.
The virus will not be transmitted through mosquito bites
There is a huge panic among the residents of Bangladesh about whether the coronavirus would transmit through mosquito bites. But the WHO has clearly stated that mosquitoes are not the container of COVID-19. Coronavirus generally spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
How effective are thermal scanners?
In the last few months, the authorities in our country used thermal scanners at different entrance points to detect suspected coronavirus cases. This was a very flawed strategy.
According to WHO website, though thermal scanners can detect a patient suffering from fever, it might not always identify a coronavirus patient. In most of the cases, the patient starts showing symptoms after 2-10 days of getting infected.
You can recover from COVID-19
Though there is no specific medicine yet discovered for the virus, people can still get completely cured through the normal treatment procedure.
One of the weirdest misconceptions is that once you are tested positive with corona, you won’t get completely cured. So many people do not even show up in the hospital which makes their situation even worse. The WHO website suggests that people immediately call their local health facility if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19. It also states that most of the patients get completely cured only by supportive care.
So it is very evident that most of the misinformation which has been spread through social media are not merely harmless rumours, but also very hazardous fake cures. To make things worse, some of them were spread by medical professionals and academicians holding respected positions.
In this regard, Dr Md Nazrul Islam said, "It is very unethical when someone holding a respected office spreads misinformation among people. The people in our country are already very scared and confused; we should not add to their misery."
Dr Habibur Rahman in his final statement said it is important for us to know that the virus generally affects people with a weak immune system.
“So rather than listening to the harmful social media hoax, we should consume as much protein as possible to remain healthy,” he advised.
“We should also maintain the social distancing rules strictly. In this way, we can save us and our family members from getting infected.”
