Paracetamol P-500 does not contain Machupo virus

A The message is circulating that a paracetamol P/500 tablet contains a virus called Machupo.

Verdict

The allegation is false. A search on the Google search engine shows that the claim, which is attached to a photo of a woman covered in what looks like rashes, and which first surfaced in 2017, is not true. It has been discovered that the agent of Machupo virus are rodents just like Lassa fever.

Additionally, the virus, called Bolivian Hemorrhagic Fever (BHF), has only been recorded in Bolivia and has not been linked to medication.

Full Text

A message warning against the use of a paracetamol drug with P/500 has resurfaced online. The message claimed doctors believed it contained a virus.

The message, which urged readers to send it or forward it to family and friends in order to save lives, features before and after photos of a woman who allegedly took the drug.

The “after” image, which shows a person with peeling skin and looking sick, is attached to the post to strike fear into readers and inspire them to share.

The message read “URGENT WARNING! Be careful not to take the paracetamol which comes written P/500. This is a new, very white and shiny paracetamol, which doctors have proven contains the virus “Machupo”, considered as one of the most dangerous viruses in the world. And with a high fatality rate. Please share this message, for all people and family. And save their lives…. I did my part, now it’s it’s your turn…remember that God helps those who help.

What is the Machupo virus?

Like Lassa fever, which is common in Nigeria, Machupo virus is a rodent-borne disease that is transmitted or spread through food, through direct contact with virus particles. These particles come from the saliva, urine or faeces of mice carrying the virus.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the virus, also known as Bolivian hemorrhagic fever (BHF), was first discovered in a town in Bolivia in 1963 and could lead to internal bleeding in people. victims when the case is serious.

The Pan American Health Organization said its death rate is estimated at between 5 and 30 percent.

The CDC in an article on its website said that the development of the virus in the human system from the first and second week would be a flu-like illness with fever, malaise and fatigue followed by headache, dizziness, myalgia and severe drops. Back ache.

In addition, he said that conditions like abdominal pain, anorexia, tremors and hemodynamic instability can be followed by hemorrhagic manifestations, including bleeding from the oral and nasal mucosa and gastrointestinal tract.

A public health information on the virus by the Government of Canada noted that the virus is concentrated in Bolivia and surrounding areas.

“The prevalence of Machupo virus is limited to the location of its specific rodent hosts, which are commonly found in tropical grasslands and temperate forest regions of the eastern Bolivian plains, northern Paraguay and western Brazil.

Wikipedia noted that the effectiveness of the virus led the United States to develop it as a potential bioweapon before the country suspended its bioweapons program in 1969.

This is why the risk of laboratory-acquired infections is qualified as a highly lethal agent, and it is advisable to carry out a potentially infectious test in a biosafety level 4 laboratory.

Verification

A Google search of the image reveals the allegation has been on cyberspace since 2017. The message has been adopted in Thai and Hindi. This also prompted several fact checks to debunk the claim.

A fact check by The Times of India said that when it went viral, the Singapore government issued a warning against believing and sharing the post.

Similarly, experts who spoke to AFP said it was impossible for paracetamol tablets to contain the virus.

Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Chulalongkorn University in India, Alisara Sangviroon Sujarit said that “to produce a tablet, the conditions have to be very dry. The virus needs a humid environment and a low temperature to reproduce. This is why the virus does not survive in this kind of environment.

“In addition, the pharmaceutical company will have to perform quality control, which makes it impossible for a drug to contain a virus.”

Conclusion

The claim is false because the temperature for the virus to survive must be humid and not dry as is the case with most therapeutic drugs.