Prescriptions, advice and suggestions being dished out in a section of the social media in an unscientific way on the treatment of coronavirus-transmitted patients, are the most serious threat to future public health.

Public health experts made the observations while suggesting that patients should only follow doctor’s prescriptions. Consuming highly effective medicine with corona-like symptoms could damage human organs permanently, they said.

Experts warned, taking social media suggested drugs without doctor's advice increases the health risks in the long run.
Medicine professor, Z M Kabir Chowdhury told Bangladesh Post, “First of all there is no cure, but that doesn’t mean patients will take medicine without a physician’s consultation.”

Don’t pay heed to unverified medical prescriptions on social media. There are still doctors online and offline, before worrying about medicine at least consider that consuming highly effective medicines could damage your nervous system partially; sometimes completely, he added.

Medicine specialist, Dr Mahbubur Rahman Rubel of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) said, “I would not differ with you, many of my relatives have already asked me about the authenticity of those medicines suggested on social media. I told them not to consume any.”

“Boost your immune system naturally by eating vitamin-C, Iron, and Zinc enriched foods. Until the arrival of a vaccine it is completely unethical to suggest unproven medicines. It could be a disaster for a patient taking these drugs without the advice of a doctor.”

He further said, no effective antidote to coronavirus infection has been discovered so far. In the meantime, some corona-infected patients and local doctors have claimed effectiveness of some such drugs and disseminated the matter on social media Facebook.

“And because of the severity of the pandemic, it has gone viral, people are stumbling across pharmacies to buy certain drugs. Even those who suffer from mild or cold-cough, sore throat, have rushed to buy these medicines. Which is completely insane.”

Earlier, medicine specialist Dr ABM Abdullah had said, one should not take medicine just by looking at Facebook or on someone else’s advice. Because there are side effects of taking drugs. If someone is infected with corona or fever, it is advisable to take the medicine as prescribed by the doctor. And if that is not possible, then at least taking advice through telemedicine would be scientific and logical.

“There is a risk of getting the opposite result if you take medicine by looking at Facebook. In particular, there are some antibiotics that are not supposed to be taken, and taking them can cause side effects,” warned Dr Miftahul Hasan of Delta Hospital.

“A doctor can observe the patient and tell him in what proportion the medicine will be needed. For this reason, I discourage anyone from buying medicine from the pharmacy alone,”