10 Myths And Misconceptions Of Corona Virus In Nigeria

The fear of coronavirus spreading to Africa because of the continent’s close economic ties with China, the epicentre of the deadly outbreak, has become a reality as Nigeria, the continent’s largest population, confirmed its first case a couple of weeks ago and it's second case yesterday.
Nigeria is now the third country in Africa and the 48th globally to confirm a case of the viral disease now known as Covid-19.
Since it originated from Wuhan in China last December, the virus has claimed over 3,000 lives mainly from the Asian country and affected over 80,000 people globally, spreading to six continents.
Nigeria’s first case is an Italian businessman who arrived from Milan while the second case is someone who had contact with the Italian.
He flew into Lagos through the Murtala Muhammad International Airport without his case being detected, stirring memories of six years ago when West Africa’s ebola epidemic hit the chaotic megacity of 21 million.

Back in 2014, during the Ebola epidemic that was fortunately curtailed to only seven casualties, there were a lot of misconceptions and misinformation. They include a widespread rumour that bathing with salt water can prevent Ebola.
This time, also, there has been a lot of myths and false information about coronavirus spreading mostly on social media.
The social networking site, Facebook, has pledged to partner with the Nigerian government to check the spread of fake news and disinformation in the wake of the outbreak in Lagos, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
To check misinformation and fake news about coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has exposed 10 myths about the viral disease.
1. Hand dryers are effective in killing the new coronavirus.

No, hand dryers are not effective in killing a virus. The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Then use a hand dryer or paper towel to dry your hands.
2. Ultraviolet disinfection lamps kill COVID-19
No, ultraviolet lamps will not kill the virus and they can cause skin irritation.
3. Spraying alcohol or chlorine bleach on yourself can kill the virus.
No. They won’t kill the virus, and they will burn your skin. You can, however, use those substances to clean surfaces in your home or office that could have the virus on them.
4. It’s unsafe to open a package from China.
Yes, it is safe to open it. Coronaviruses do not survive long on objects like letters or packages.
5. I can get the coronavirus from my pet.

According to the WHO, there is no evidence that companion animals such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus.

6. The pneumonia vaccine provides protection against COVID-19.
There is no vaccine yet that protects against the coronavirus, including pneumonia viruses. Researchers have said they believe a vaccine for COVID-19 will be available in about a year.
7. Saline rinses help kill the virus.
No. There is no evidence that regularly rinsing your nostrils with saline offers any protection against the new coronavirus.
8. The coronavirus is only dangerous for older people and those who have pre-existing medical conditions.
No, the coronavirus can affect anyone. Older people and those with certain medical conditions appear more vulnerable to the virus, according to the WHO.
9. Antibiotics will help if you get the virus.
No, COVID-19 is a virus. Antibiotics do not work against viruses.
10. Medicine given after the virus can cure it.
There is no vaccine or mention to prevent coronavirus, although cases have been successfully treated.

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Corona Virus: Italy Quarantines 16 Million People

Nigerians who want to travel Italy have been advise to put their visit on hold as the outbreak of Corona Virus has taken a new dimension in that country. Italy has placed up to 16 million people under quarantine as it battles to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Anyone living in Lombardy and 14 other central and northern provinces will need special permission to travel. Milan and Venice are both affected.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the whole country.

The measures, the most radical taken outside China, will last until 3 April.

Italy has seen the largest number of coronavirus infections in Europe, with the number of confirmed cases jumping by more than 1,200 to 5,883 on Saturday

The strict new quarantine measures affect a quarter of the Italian population and centre on the rich northern part of the country that powers its economy.

The death toll in Italy has passed 230, with officials reporting more than 36 deaths in 24 hours.

The health system is under immense strain in Lombardy, a northern region of 10 million people, where people are being treated in hospital corridors.

“We want to guarantee the health of our citizens. We understand that these measures will impose sacrifices, sometimes small and sometimes very big,” Prime Minister Conte said as he announced the measures in the middle of the night.

Under the new measures, people are not supposed to be able to enter or leave Lombardy, where Milan is the main city.

The same restrictions apply to 14 provinces: Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice.

“There will be no movement in or out of these areas, or within them, unless for proven, work-related reasons emergencies or health reasons,” Mr Conte told reporters.

“We are facing an emergency, a national emergency. We have to limit the spread of the virus and prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed.”

However, transport in and out of the regions affected continues. Flights continued to arrive at Milan’s Malpensa and Linate airports on Sunday, though some scheduled flights were cancelled.

Weddings and funerals have been suspended, as well as religious and cultural events. Cinemas, night clubs, gyms, swimming pools, museums and ski resorts have been closed.

People have been told to stay at home as much as possible, and those who break the quarantine could face three months in jail.

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Third-Hand Smoke May convey Hazardous Chemicals

Researchers from United States  have raised the alarm over the impact of third-hand smoke, saying hazardous compounds from cigarette smoke that cling to smokers’ bodies could be released into non-smoking environment, thereby exposing people nearby to the adverse effects of cigarettes.

According to the findings of a new study, published in the journal ‘Science Advances,’ third-hand smoke could travel in large quantities into indoor, non-smoking environments by way of humans.

The research suggested that even if someone is in a room where no one has smoked, that person could still be exposed to many of the hazardous chemical compounds that make up cigarette smoke, depending on who else had entered the room or previously visited it.

Third-hand smoke is described as the residual contamination from cigarette smoking that adheres to walls and other surfaces in places where smoking has previously occurred. Professor Drew Genter, a researcher in the study said, “People are substantial carriers of third-hand smoke contaminants to other environments. So, the idea that someone is protected from the potential health effects of cigarette smoke because they’re not directly exposed to second-hand smoke is not the case.” Yale’s Gentner is an associate professor of chemical & environmental engineering at the University. On his part, Roger Sheu, a Ph.D. student in Gentner’s lab and lead author of the study, said, “Despite regulations preventing people from smoking indoors, near entryways, and near air intakes, hazardous chemicals from cigarette smoke are still making their way indoors.”

The amount of these hazardous and reactive gases wasn’t trivial, the research team said. The gas emissions were equal to that of being exposed to one to 10 cigarettes of secondhand smoke in a one-hour period, they noted, the ‘Mailonline’ reported. The researchers said that the chemicals don’t remain entirely in the air, but are also adsorbed onto various surfaces and furnishings, just as it does with thirdhand smoke contamination in places where smoking has occurred. Similarly, they also found a predominance of nitrogencontaining compounds from cigarettes, which would have migrated from people to other indoor surfaces. “In particular, we noticed that nicotine was the most prominent compound by far,” said co-author Jenna Ditto, a Ph.D. student in Gentner’s lab.

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Banknotes Could Transmit Corona Virus - WHO

As public health officials around the world battle to contain the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organization has warned that banknotes may transmit the disease. “We know that money changes hands frequently and can pick up all sorts of bacteria and viruses,” a WHO spokesman told the Telegraph. “We would advise people to wash their hands after handling banknotes, and avoid touching their face.” The spokesman also advises using contactless payment options wherever possible, to minimise the risk.

“The primary transmission route is via droplets,” says Prof Jürgen Haas, the head of infection medicine at the University of Edinburgh. “These droplets are generated by coughing, and can directly infect another person via airborne infection, or by transmission via hands or other surfaces.”

Hass explains that coronavirus can persist on inanimate surfaces for “quite a long time”, although no one knows exactly how long yet, as Covid-19 is so new.

 “The survival time of the virus depends on the surface and the conditions,” says Haas. “The lower the temperature, the longer the survival time. If the temperature is warmer, the survival time of the virus goes down.” The viability of the virus will decrease during this time, reducing the risk of transmission.

Although coronavirus can be transmitted via inanimate objects, the odds of contracting it in this way are low. “The amount of virus that is potentially on an inanimate object is usually very small,” says Dr Christine Tait-Burkard, an expert in infection and immunity at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh. She explains that there typically wouldn’t be much coronavirus on a person’s fingertips, and it would still have to get past your respiratory system to infect you. “Your respiratory system is very good at filtering out viruses,” Tait-Burkard says.

While the risk is low, it is sensible to take precautions. Official NHS advice is to wash your hands regularly (or use hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol content, if you are not able to get to a sink), cough into your elbow and dispose of used tissues immediately. But which objects pose the greatest risk of coronavirus transmission?

Banknotes

Banknotes can carry the coronavirus. But try not to be too alarmed: the risk is small. “Unless someone is using a bank note to sneeze in,” Tait-Burkard says. Don’t worry too much about loose change. “Coins are actually very bad environments for viruses to survive,” she says.

Door handles

Touching these is often unavoidable, and a lot of different people may do so, so be mindful of where you are touching the handle and wash your hands frequently to combat this.

Office kitchens

Coffee machines or kettles will be handled by multiple people, so it’s a good idea to use hand sanitiser after doing the tea round.

ATMs or ticket machines

“If you’re withdrawing money from a machine, that’s also something that’s going to be touched by many people,” says Haas. Ditto ticket machines.

Handrails

Escalators, tube handrails, banisters – all will be touched constantly, potentially by thousands of people a day. “If you’re on public transport, there’s no way not to touch the handrails,” says Tait-Burkard. “So when you get off, disinfect your hands.”

Communal bathroom surfaces

“People often blow their noses in the bathroom,” Tait-Burkard observes.

Hospital surfaces

“Shaking hands is a frequent transmission route for disease in hospitals,” says Haas. “It’s why health personnel are supposed to regularly disinfect their hands.” If you are visiting someone in hospital, or have an appointment, wash your hands thoroughly before and after visiting.

Telephones

Less of a problem in the age of smartphones, but if you share an office phone, it is something to consider.

Airplane seats

“International travel is a risk factor for transmission,” says Tait-Burkard. So make like Naomi Campbell, and wipe down your seat pre-takeoff.

Anything in a GP surgery

“The public health advice is that you should call NHS 111, rather than go to your GP, if you fear you have coronavirus,” says Tait-Burkard. “But there will be some people who go to the GP, despite the advice. So there is a higher risk.” She points out that all GP surgeries usually provide free hand disinfectant – so take advantage of what is on offer, and apply it liberally.

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Skin-Lightening Creams Could Damage Health

Consumers have been cautioned  to steer clear of skin- lightening creams over the danger they pose to the populace using them.

According to the Local Government Association in the United Kingdom (UK), which issued the warning, skin lightening creams should be “avoided at all costs,” based on their bleaching agent hydroquinone and their mercury contents, both of which endanger health.

Hydroquinone, described by the LGA as “the biological equivalent of paint stripper”, could remove the top layer of skin, increasing the risk of skin cancer, and causing fatal liver and kidney damage. Mercury could also cause similar life-threatening health problems, the bbc reported.

Unless they were issued on prescription by a doctor, creams containing hydroquinone, steroids or mercury are banned in the UK – because of their potentially serious side-effects.

However, the British Skin Foundation has advised people who have any concerns about their skin to speak to a doctor.

Chairman of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, Simon Blackburn said: “Skin creams containing banned ingredients are very dangerous and could seriously damage your health, scar you for life and even kill you, so they should be avoided at all costs.

“Consumers should always check the ingredients of their skin creams, be suspicious of very low prices, which are likely to indicate the lotion is fake and potentially harmful, and never use a product containing hydroquinone.”

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Too Much Salt Increases Risk Of Weight Gain

Researchers in the United States (US) said the consumption of too much salt may be involved in weight gain.


This is the findings of a new study published in the “The Journal of Clinical Investigation’’.

Traditional thinking has been that salty foods make people drink more water, but the scientists found that it actually reduced thirst and makes people more prone to overeating, weight gain, and even develop metabolic syndrome, which could lead to diabetes and other serious medical conditions.



Previous researches have also associated too much salt with high blood pressure and one way to help control blood pressure is to reduce salt intake.



Considering that people tend to eat more salt than recommended on a daily basis, the research carried out  at Vanderbilt University in Teansee in the United States (US) suggested finding ways to cut back on salt.

Highlighting one of the methods to cut back on salt, the National Kidney Foundation suggested limiting prepared foods with a high salt content.





Packaged foods with high salt content include smoked and cured meats, like frankfurters, frozen dinners, canned meals, salted nuts and seeds.

In addition to packaged and deli meats, some canned and frozen foods, from beans to vegetables, can have very high salt levels, “so, always read labels,” the ‘Newsmaxhealth’ reported, adding that foods that may not be associate with being salty could still have sodium in the ingredients.



To this end, consumers were advised to look for no-salt-added brands and when that’s not possible, rinse the food under cold running water to remove as much salt as possible.

The team advised: “When cooking and seasoning foods, replace salt — including garlic salt and onion salt — with herbs and spices.

“Pure granulated garlic and freeze-dried onions should be acceptable alternatives.”

Furthermore, consumers were advised to ask restaurants or the chef to limit the salt in your food and reach for the pepper, not the salt shaker, if a dish needs more seasoning.

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