February 05, 2020

Andrew Campbell 

The outbreak of novel coronavirus caused everyone’s tension to stay on the latest information. However, World Health Organization released a situation report on February 4th to warn about the “infodemic” phenomenon. Infodemic means over-loading information. Some information might be accurate but some are not. 

Nowadays, the social media channels, including twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, can immediately release information in various ways. WHO also warns the massive information might not give the reliable guidance for people to prevent this new coronavirus. More information might cause unnecessary panic to the public.

According to the report from WHO, the technical and communication experts in the headquarter Geneva, and six regionals work hard to rule out the myths and rumors of this novel coronavirus. 

World Economic Forum’s website presented a report to state some concerns related to the novel coronavirus. The report included some questions and answers to give the accurate information about this latest infectious disease. The following are some questions:

1.Can garlic help prevent this novel coronavirus?

Garlic is a healthy food that has some antimicrobial properties. However, there is not any evidence to prove that eating garlic works well to prevent this novel coronavirus. 

2.Can pets spread the new coronavirus?

Up to now, there is no direct evidence to show that pets can spread the new coronavirus. However, it is always a good idea to wash your hands after you contact with pets. 

Assistant Undersecretary for Health Centers and Clinics in UAE, Dr. Hussain Al Rand, requested people to seek for the official information and should not believe in rumors

Photo:Webshot.