Drinking hot water will not wash Coronavirus from system — Immunologist

Arinola of the Department of Immunology, University of Ibadan, said this while speaking to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Ibadan.

NAN reports that there had been circulation of messages on the social media that drinking hot water was an effective way to wash the COVID-19 into the stomach and get rid of the deadly virus.

Arinola, however, said that the steam from hot water might help calm or reduce symptoms of COVID-19 but would not cure it.

The immunologist advised that people yet to be infected with the virus should focus on building their immunity to reduce the inflammation that could be caused by the disease.

“The major problem of Coronavirus is that it has the ability to multiply at a faster rate before one can mount effective immunity.

“There are many ways you can build your immune system apart from balanced diet. Taking vitamin supplements is a very important factor in building immunity.

“Vitamins A, C, E, are very powerful antioxidants that can help to neutralise the pathogens that cause infection.

“Zinc and Selenium are other micronutrient immune boosters,” he said.

The professor said oxidative stress, unhealthy lifestyle such as smoking also posed threat to the immune system.

According to him, oxidative stress leads to the production of free radicals which can pierce cell walls and exacerbate inflammation that occurs as a result of COVID-19.

“Although there are many unanswered questions about COVID-19, we know that the status of human immune system is crucial.

“The major attribute of Coronavirus is its ability to rapidly spread and multiply before effective immunity is mounted by the host, thus the pandemic nature of COVID-19.

“It is known that ageing is associated with causative factors of secondary immunodeficiency condition such as reduced exercise, increased stress, past and concurrent infections.

“Others are non-communicable diseases including diabetes, hypertension and autoimmune disorders,” he said.

Arinola said that the Coronavirus task must be multidisciplinary for successful management of COVID-19 patients.