Consumption of non-vegetarian food will not cause coronavirus: AIIMS Director

NEW DELHI: AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria cleared some myths around coronavirus and how it spreads.

He said that consumption of non-vegetarian food will not cause coronavirus.

"As common healthcare precaution, all kinds of meat should be thoroughly washed and properly cooked," said the AIIMS Director.

Among other claims, he said that weather conditions may not affect the spread of the virus since countries with tropical weather conditions are also getting affected due to coronavirus.

He also said that consuming hot water or alcohol will not kill coronavirus.

For a fact, rumours claiming spread of coronavirus through chickens, circulated widely through social media platforms such as, WhatsApp, has severely impacted sale of chickens in the country.

Chicken sales have come down by 50 percent, said an official from Agribusiness company Godrej Agrovet Limited.

Godrej Agrovet Managing Director B S Yadav said that sales have fallen to 40 million birds from 75 million in just four weeks.

Farmers have also been hurt as they are unable to recover costs earning Rs 30-Rs 35 per bird.

According to some reports, farmers have already started cutting down on production which might cost price hike in coming months.

Telangana ministers like KT Rama Rao and several others ate chicken on stage to quell rumours linking coronavirus to chicken at an event in Hyderabad.

Coronavirus which originated in Wuhan in China has left thousands dead. It has also spread to other parts of the world.

It is important to note that bird flu is also a huge concern for many people.

In January this year, as many as 900 fowls were culled after the avian influenza virus was detected in a dead bird in Bangalore. “A chicken was found dead on December 29 at a chicken shop in (suburban) Dasarahalli area and it was confirmed after lab tests that the bird was infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus,” Bruhat Bengaluru Mahagara Palike (BBMP) Joint Commissioner S. garaju told IANS.

China has reported a deadly H5N1 bird flu outbreak among chickens in Hunan province, which lies on the southern border of Hubei, the epicenter of the rapidly spreading coronavirus that has killed 304 people.

More than 100,000 poultry have been culled in 10 provinces and cities of Vietnam where A/H5N6 and A/H5N1 bird flu broke out, Vietnam News Agency cited the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

H5N1 virus-infected birds spread the virus through their saliva, mucus and faeces. Although the virus does not usually infect people, it can cause fever, diarrhoea, respiratory illnesses in some affected people.

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