DEBUNKING 9 MYTHS ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
DEBUNKING 9 MYTHS ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
With panic across the globe because of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19), many myths are going about in the community. Most of the people are either ill-informed or misinformed, thus causing lapses in prevention of this disease.
This is an attempt to clarify some of the myths:
MYTH 1: CORONAVIRUS CAN BE PREVENTED BY BATHING IN HOT WATER
TRUTH: Taking a hot bath will
not prevent you from getting infected with the virus. The normal human body
temperature is 37°C, regardless of the temperature of your bath or shower. Humans
are homeothermic, that is, our body regulates its temperature itself without
getting affected by the environmental temperature, as opposed to poikilothermic
animals, which cannot. Actually, taking a hot bath with extremely hot water can
be harmful, as it can burn you. The best way to protect yourself against coronavirus
is by washing your hands frequently. By doing this you eliminate viruses that
may be on your hands and avoid infection that coud occur by then touching your
eyes, mouth, and nose.
MYTH 2: COVID-19 WILL
NOT SURVIVE IN VERY HOT OR VERY COLD CLIMATES, ESPECIALLY IF IT SNOWS
Image by Free-Photos & composita
TRUTH: From the evidence so far, the novel coronavirus
can be transmitted in ALL AREAS, irrespective of the weather. Even though the
virus is susceptible to extremes of temperature, it is well protected in an
infected person’s body because, again, the human body temperature is
independent of the weather. It may get transmitted from person to person in
close contact via droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Regardless
of climate, adopt protective measures.
MYTH 3: CORONAVIRUS INFECTION WILL END IN APRIL/MAY LIKE OTHER SEASONAL FLU
Image by Valiphotos
TRUTH: Harvard epidemiologist Marc
Lipsitch doesn’t think any weather changes will put a big dent in how the virus
spreads. COVID-19 has now been documented around the world. If the virus is
anything like a typical flu virus, it may worsen in Southern Hemisphere regions
as the seasons change.
David
Heymann from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine says not enough
is known about this new virus to predict how it will change with different
weather conditions.
(Source:
National Geographic)
MYTH 4: CORONAVIRUS CAN
BE TRANSMITTED BY MOSQUITO BITES
Image by Elias Schäfer
TRUTH: NO, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to support this. Coronavirus
is transmitted through droplets of an infected person when he sneezes or
coughs, or through droplets
of saliva or discharge from the nose.
MYTH 5: SPRAYING ALCOHOL OR CHLORINE ALL OVER YOUR BODY CAN KILL THE NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS?
Image by Michael Tavrionov
TRUTH: No. Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body will
not kill viruses that have already entered your body. Spraying such substances
can be harmful to clothes or mucous membranes (i.e. eyes, mouth). However disinfectants
containing alcohol or chlorine can be useful to disinfect inanimate surfaces.
MYTH 6: EATING GARLIC CAN PREVENT INFECTION WITH THE NEW CORONAVIRUS?
Image by Steve Buissinne
TRUTH: Garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial
properties. However, there is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating
garlic has protected people from the new coronavirus.
MYTH 7: ONLY OLDER PEOPLE ARE VULNERABLE
TRUTH: People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus.
Older people, and people with CHRONIC diseases like asthma, diabetes, heart illness,
COPD, etc appear to be more susceptible to becoming severely ill with the
virus.
WHO advises people of all ages to take steps to protect
themselves from the virus, for example by following good hand hygiene and good
respiratory hygiene.
MYTH 8: TAKING MULTIPLE ANTIBIOTICS SIMULTANEOUSLY MAY TREAT THE INFECTION
Image by Steve Buissinne
TRUTH: Antibiotics do not work against
viruses. However secondary bacterial infection may occur, and antibiotics may
be prescribed to an infected person for this.
Doctors
from various countries have used a cocktail of drugs comprising of anti-malarial,
anti-HIV and anti-swine flu (oseltamivir) agents and have claimed to have cured
patients of coronavirus. But these are experimental only. Till a sure shot cure
is proven, precaution is the best weapon.
MYTH 9: HAND DRYERS AND ULTRAVIOLET (UV) DISINFECTION LAMPS CAN KILLING THE VIRUS
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images
TRUTH: Hand dryers are NOT
effective in killing the coronavirus. To protect yourself against the new
coronavirus, you should frequently clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand
rub or wash them with soap and water.
UV lamps should not be used to sterilize hands or other areas of
skin as UV radiation can cause skin irritation.
SOURCE: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
SOURCE: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
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