The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that eating garlic and nose rinsing with salt water will not guard against coronavirus infection.
The WHO said this on Monday while refuting some myths and rumours.
“There is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating garlic has protected people from 2019-nCoV,” it said.
“There are some chemical disinfectants that can kill the infection on the surface. These include bleach, chlorine based disinfectants, solvents, 75 per cent ethanol, peracetic acid and chloroform.
“However, they have little or no impact on the virus if you put them on the skin or under your nose. It can even be dangerous to put these chemicals on your skin.
“Some brands of mouthwash can eliminate certain microbes for a few minutes in the saliva in your mouth. However, this does not mean they protect you from 2019-nCoV infection,” the body said.
WHO also noted that it was safe to receive packages from China, adding that such people were not at risk of contracting coronavirus through the package.
“From previous analysis, we know that coronaviruses do not survive long on objects or packages”.
The world health body added that vaccines against pneumonia such as Pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, does not provide protection against the new virus.
“The virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine against 2019-nCoV and WHO is supporting the efforts.
“These vaccines are not effective against 2019-nCoV. Vaccination against respiratory illnesses is highly recommended to protect your health,’’ the health organisation said.
WHO urged nations to prepare to communicate rapidly, regularly and transparently with their citizens.
As of February 2, 2019-nCoV has been confirmed in 23 countries, with 14,557 cases globally. 14,411 of the cases are in China.
There have been 305 deaths, 304 in China, and one in Philippines.
On Sunday, the Lagos State Government explained that there was no case on Coronavirus in the city.
The clarification came just as the Nigerian government declared its readiness to contain the disease.
