Hot water, tea, alcohol cannot cure COVID-19, prevention remains best option - Hon. Nanbolistic

Hon. Daniel Nanbolistic

 Hot water, tea, alcohol cannot cure COVID-19, prevention remains best option - Hon. Nanbolistic

By Joseph A. Adudu

March 30, 2020

The notion held by many that drinking hot water, tea and consumption of alcohol can cure the dreaded COVID-19 has been dismissed by Hon. Daniel Nanbolistic, the Chairman, House Committee on Health and member representing Langtang North-Central in the Plateau State House of Assembly.

Nanbolistic who has been a Public Health Practitioner for many years and in many places including the prestigious National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) Vom, stated that it was common to hear people adducing to different types of substances or elements as solution to outbreak of new diseases.

Speaking to African Drum over the weekend, the lawmaker said, “When there is an outbreak of a new disease, you hear different stories from different people as cure to it.

“In the current case, some would tell you that if you take hot tea or water, it will kill the virus. Some would tell you if take alcohol it will kill the disease.  Sincerely speaking, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19."

According to him, there is an algorithm in carrying out diagnosis and all what physicians and health experts are doing is that immediately the Laboratory scientists do the Serology Rapid Diagnostic Test before the real time PCR and one is found positive, such a person would definitely be isolated.

"As I said earlier, the treatment is not specific, so you begin by treating the symptoms which in most cases are running nose, cough and pains in the body.

“Then the antiviral drugs are administered. The simple logic and principle is that the antiviral drugs would block the production and multiplication of the COVID-19 to other organs of the body and take dominance and multiplies (not that it cures the virus).

“All that the drugs does is to block multiplication, and then your immune system would boost up, work it out and kill the virus. So, there is no specific therapy for COVID-19", he said.

Consequently, Nanbolistic strongly advised against taking hot substances or Chlorophyll with the hope that these elements cure the COVID-19 as erroneously held by many. Instead, he advised that practical hygiene be taken with high degree of seriousness to prevent COVID-19. "All we need do is to engage in practical hygiene because that has been the practice even as of old and even recorded in the Holy Bible.

“Environmental and personal hygiene are key to preventing the COVID-19, because if you ask me of the way out, I would tell you, prevention, prevention, prevention and prevention", he said.

Hon. Nanbolistic

He applauded the efforts taken by the Plateau State Government so far to avoid the spread of the virus and further advised the people to abide by the instructions to avoid the calamity that has befall even the developed Countries.

"Look at the global statistics from December to today and break it down taking into account China, Italy, USA and Spain, 480,000 cases have been recorded.

“In Nigeria, we have 81 confirmed cases with 1 dead and 2 recovered as at today. Despite the fact that it is a mild case, but we want people to know that the probability one person spreading the disease to so many people is possible, and the major challenge at the moment is tracking the different contacts.

“So, if we don't take precautionary measures very serious, one person have the probability of spreading the disease to 30 people in a day averagely, before you know what's happening (based on my own health experience and projection), over 1,000 people might be infected in 15 days.

“And before we know it, we would be counting tens of thousands of people with the disease", Hon. Nanbolistic said.

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