Coronavirus… and more coronavirus…

FSM News and Articles

JOHN DWYER. Understanding the public health imperatives required to minimise infections with the coronavirus. (Part One): “It is reasonable, at the moment, to suggest that older Australians limit unnecessary exposure to the broader community (meetings, travel, shopping centres etc), while special attention is given to infection-control strategies in nursing homes and aged care facilities”.

JOHN DWYER. Understanding the public health imperatives required to minimise infection with the coronavirus. (Part Two)“Most of us will not be harmed by the virus. It will, however, challenge each of us to be part of an effective community response protecting those vulnerable to serious, even fatal consequences. What’s required is a terrible nuisance and disrupting to normal lifestyle. Unfortunately minimising social interactions is currently advisable for older Australians.”

FSM Friends’ News and Articles

Coronavirus myths and facts: Of course there is also rank pseudoscience taking advantage of the fear and ignorance about COVID-19 and science and medicine in general. Many of the familiar snake oils are making the rounds, such as colloidal silver. This is a dangerous product that should not be taken internally, and there is no evidence it is effective against any infection. The virus is also an opportunity to spread fear and conspiracies, and use the resulting panic to sell things like bulk food. Alex Jones has perfected this model and continues to do so with COVID-19. There are too many quack remedies out there to do anything approaching a complete guide. The best advice is to rely on authoritative sites, like the CDC, WHO, or respected research institutions for information. Take the common-sense precautions I outlined above, read the CDC documents on what to do, and don’t panic. Don’t believe conspiracy theories, or claims for miracle cures. Probably any alleged cure out there has already been debunked here and elsewhere, so look for skeptical information on any such claims.

General

Be aware, online coronavirus cures too good to be true Governmental agencies are stepping in to debunk bogus coronavirus cures — including chlorine, garlic or colloidal silver — that are ricocheting around the Internet. The World Health Organization has set up a helpful resource page to bust such myths and is working with social media platforms to flag posts making false claims, so the misleading information can be blocked from news feeds. And the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters on March 9 to seven companies peddling illegal or unapproved drugs.

Why hand-washing really is as important as doctors say: Bacteria and viruses are different in a number of ways. Bacteria are single-celled organisms that can reproduce on their own, while viruses constitute a core of genetic material encapsulated by a protein coat and can only reproduce by attaching themselves to host cells. Because viruses don’t have the organelles to reproduce, they “hijack” the cellular machinery of host cells to make multitudes of new viruses. These differences are why antibiotics cannot kill viruses, which typically target specific structures in the cellular components of bacteria that are absent in viruses. Despite their differences, however, the best way to prevent the disease of bacterial and viral pathogens alike is to effectively wash your hands. There are two strategies to decreasing the amount of microbes on your hands:

• The first is to decrease the overall biomass of microbes – that is, decrease the amount of bacteria, viruses and other types of microorganisms. We do this by lathering with soap and rinsing with water. Soap’s chemistry helps remove microorganisms from our hands by accentuating the slippery properties of our own skin.

• The second strategy is to kill the microbes. We do this by using products with an antibacterial agent such as alcohols, chlorine, peroxides, chlorhexidine or triclosan. However, the efficacy on these agents can be variable depending on a given microbe.

Coronavirus vaccine trial set to begin this month: “The world would be “lucky” to have a vaccine against coronavirus within a year, UK Chief Medical Adviser Chris Whitty told lawmakers in Parliament on Thursday.”

Today’s Abused Health Concept

Homeopathic hospitals and coronavirus – Director for C4C Homeopathic Hospital says homeopathy may prevent coronavirus: Every major disease outbreak, there will be some homeopath offering diluted water, and claiming that their special art can solve all the woes of the world. In this case, the director of a homeopathic hospital in Ghana stated that “Arsenicum Album 30C” and drops of sesame oil could treat coronavirus, and prevent it spreading. Note that this remedy is so dilute (30C) that it is CHEMICALLY PURE WATER. Generally if someone is offering magic water, it’s a good sign that they are too irresponsible to be allowed to treat patients. And yet they are allowed to run a hospital?? How many patients will suffer? How many will put their faith in ineffective treatments, and further spread the the disease?

Great Moments in Health and Science 

The Invention of the EEG: Monitoring the electrical activity of the brain allows the diagnosis and monitoring of epilepsy and sleep patterns, and is even used in defining brain death.