CORONAVIRUS | Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah appeared to distance the ministry from claims that Covid-19 could be prevented by drinking warm water.
Hisham (above) said the Health Ministry's approach for patient treatment or management is rooted in evidence.
"Evidence-based medicine is one of our (Health Ministry's) pillars in terms of embracing a practice before we can deal with any issues with regards to certain practices et cetera.
"In general [...] our decision to treat and manage patients is based on science and data.
"We need to look into the research, and the date before we make any substantial claims," he said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.
He said this when asked to comment on Health Minister Adham Baba's claim that the Covid-19 infection could be prevented by drinking warm water.
“This virus doesn’t like high temperatures," Adham (photo) had said on RTM’s Bicara Naratif programme on Thursday evening.
“The virus will be eliminated, eliminated, and end up in the stomach. If it ends up in the stomach, there is acid and they lose.
“The important thing is to eliminate the virus from the throat before it enters the lungs because it loves the lower respiratory tract,” he added.
Similar advice had already been debunked by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The minister’s advice was also debunked by Malaysian surgeon Dr Amalina Bakri, who said such claims were not “evidence-based”.
Respiratory tract vs digestive tract
Meanwhile, former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye joined the chorus in setting the record straight.
He explained that the digestive and respiratory tracts were two different systems.
“The respiratory tract and the digestive system are two different tracts even though they share a common area in the throat [...]
“Covid-19 is an infection of the respiratory tract, specifically the deeper respiratory tract. For infected patients, the virus will primarily be in the respiratory tracts and not in the throat.
“Even though hot temperatures and hot water can kill the virus, you would actually need to pour hot water into your lungs and this will flood the lungs and kill the patient before the virus dies,” he said.
“Drinking warm water is not an effective way to treat or prevent the Covid-19 virus,” Lee stressed. - Mkini
Kalau menteri Ni kena jankit covid, Jangan bagi dia admitted ke hospital, suruh dia minum air suam atau panas je.
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