In This Bolivian City, Hard-Hit by the Pandemic, a Fake —and Toxic—Coronavirus Cure Proves Popular

(COCHABAMBA, Bolivia) — Long lines form every morning in one of the Bolivian cities hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic as desperate people wait to buy small bottles of chlorine dioxide, a toxic bleaching agent that has been falsely touted as a cure for COVID-19 and a myriad of other diseases. The rush in the city of Cochabamba to buy a disinfectant known to cause harm to those who ingest it comes even after the Bolivian Health Ministry warned of its dangers and said at least five people were poisoned after taking chlorine dioxide in La Paz, the capital. Dr. Antonio Viruez, who is treating the five at a hospital, said one incorrectly believed he had COVID-19 and developed pneumonitis, an inflammation of lung tissue, after taking chlorine dioxide and a medication used to treat parasite infestations. The other patients are improving, he said. “The Health Ministry cannot risk recommending something that doesn’t have a scientific basis,” said Miguel Ángel Delgado, a senior ministry official. However, Bolivia’s opposition-controlled congress is promoting the use of chlorine dioxide. Last week, the Senate approved a bill authorizing the emergency “manufacture, marketing, supply and use of chlorine dioxide solution for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus.” Read more: Mapping the Spread of the Coronavirus Outbreak Around the U.S. and the World The bill would require the approval of interim President Jeanine Áñ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Bolivia COVID-19 News Desk wire Source Type: news