FALSE: USE OF HEAT TO KILL THE COVID-19 IS FALSE
Rodgers Odhiambo and Celine Abuga
FALSE: USE OF HEAT TO KILL THE COVID-19 IS FALSE
An image Facebook post claiming that a combination of inhaling very hot steam from a kettle, hot gargles, and drinking hot tea four times a day can cure COVID-19 is FALSE. The post advises inhalation of hot steam, drinking hot tea, and gargling hot fluids.
The image is an undated screenshot attributed to an unidentified person living in Wuhan, stating that the steps contained were taken by residents in the city to protect against COVID-19. Wuhan is where the first case of COVID-19 was reported, and the text in the image further claims that every household in the city has a COVID-19 patient, adding that residents are no longer going to the hospital to seek treatment and are instead treating themselves.
The screenshot says that adopting the treatment routine as suggested will kill the corona virus in four days, and on the fifth day, one should get a negative test result.
Additionally, ingesting hot beverages can actually elevate the risk of developing oesophageal cancer, according to a 2016 study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the WHO.
WHO maintains that there are currently no approved cures for COVID-19 and the organisation’s page advising the public on COVID-19 does not list inhaling steam, drinking hot tea or hot gargles as treatment for the virus.
WHO has previously debunked a number of claims that associate conditions of heat to the diminished survival of coronavirus, such as the claim that taking a hot bath is a preventive measure against the disease.
PesaCheck has looked into the claim that a combination of inhaling very hot steam from a kettle, hot gargles, and drinking hot tea four times a day can cure COVID-19, and finds it to be FALSE.
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