Myths, folklore and fables: the intellectual bankruptcy amid pandemic

 ‘Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cosy indoor warmth of traditional humanising myths, in the end, the fresh air brings vigour and the great spaces have a splendour of their own’   - Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

Novel disease and pandemic

In December last year, a group of doctors in Wuhan City Hospital of Hubei unravelled a series of rather unusual cases with severe respiratory symptoms caused by flue like viral infection for the very first time. Within weeks the number of cases soared to an unprecedented scale that the authorities of Hubei had no choice but to lock-down the city with more than 10 million people in an attempt to contain the virus. By March11, 2020, the WHO declared the viral-outbreak a pandemic, being a global public health concern due to its exponential spread across the continents.  

The entire world now has been struck by fear and uncertainty to a scale that has never seen in the entire human history. Interestingly, it is not the very first time that humanity witnessed such catastrophe. From the Antonine plague (165 AD) to the recent Swine flu in 2009, humankind has perseveringly been beaten by epidemics, pandemics and great famines yet, bounced back to thrive and propagate on earth over and over proving their remarkable ability to endure. 

Owing to the robust and expedient research on the Genomics of the virus the conspiracy theory was readily condemned

To everyone’s surprise, scientists and physicians who are dearest to all kinds of ailments, infections and infirmities seem to have been shaken more than the general public wittingly or unwittingly of the imminent doomsday.  Theories on bizarre solutions and treatments are emerging to the most unknown disease ever; COVID -19. It would be prudent to take a risk in dismantling someone’s native intellectual cocoon (within which we found our comfort) to catch a glimpse of these pseudo-scientific theories muddling our society amid the viral outbreak. 
There won’t be a time more critical than ever in fulfilling our social and moral responsibility towards people in empowering them with knowledge and attitudes in this decisive hour of humanity as the tentacles of myths are entwining society at a greater pace than that of the virus claiming lives and territories.

Scaremongering

At the beginning of the viral outbreak, it was assumed that the virus could be a misadventure of state violence (conspiracy theory) particularly in the West. This deepened the anxiety among the people who were already being struck with fear and trepidation by the disease. Disgracefully, superpowers started denunciating each other in the usual manner to disguise their hypocrisy. Owing to the robust and expedient research on the Genomics of the virus the conspiracy theory was readily condemned. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was overwhelmingly concluded to have originated in wildlife. 

On the other side of the world, the liability of getting infected by the virus seems to have shifted to the infected rather than the contagion (reverse conspiracy theory). The infected individuals are being hunted down and banished like never seen before. This process of transforming the infected, a delinquent could accrue the difficulty in contact tracing in the short term and also perpetuate disease resurgence in the long run if the attempt at developing a successful vaccination is failed by any chance. 

Chloroquine and neo-imperialism

Then came the hype created by President Trump’s misleading announcement on the effectiveness of antimalarials (Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine). This sparked a tantrum among the desperate, which led to widespread hoarding of chloroquine stocks and at least one death in the US and several cases of toxicity in other parts of the world. The speculation of Antimalarials came from the observation of its anti-viral properties on studies conducted on SARS virus (strain HCoV-OC43) in animal models 4-5. However, to date, there is no high-quality clinical evidence to prove its therapeutic efficacy or benefits on humans.  Despite Trump’s baseless claims, the American FDA (Food and Drug Administration) denounced its routine therapeutic use outside any clinical trials (FDA later on granted its permission only in emergency use under specific circumstances *6 in the US). 

American face mask

The effectiveness of wearing face masks in public in minimising the spread of respiratory infections is still a debate. Despite WHO clear guidelines, many countries advised their citizens to wear face masks in public. A recent publication in the US once again drag the attention of proponents of public use of face masks amid the crisis of limited availability of PPE (Personnel Protective Equipment) globally in clinical settings. While Trump; the unpredictable, declared his decision of abstinence from wearing a face mask behind his prestigious resolute desk in the oval office against the public health advice, his supporters showed up wearing red masks with a printed slogan MAGA (Make the America Great Again). The mayhem created by the mandatory face mask in public left people in the developing world at despair, yearning to improvise their own masks and thereby putting themselves at greater risks of catching the virus. 

Anyone with a slightest understanding of the dynamics of this predicament would agree that the ultimate solution to the crisis is nothing but a vaccine which obviously is going to be a scientific discovery.

Cuppa or cow excreta

Drinking tea has been known to have many health benefits for no doubt had been a practice for centuries. Chemical composition of tea has also been extensively analysed, and the health benefits of tea can readily be explained by the effects of these components in various bio-chemical pathways in the internal milieu. However, drinking tea is by and large a social ritual than a health habit in everyday life. Apparently, we have been advised to drink tea voluminously as a remedy for the virus, citing a small print on the presence of trace amounts of Theophylline in tea (the concentration of theophylline in brewed tea is about 1mg/L10). The therapeutic dose of Theophylline in an adult (with chronic asthma) is in the range of 250-500mg every 12 hours (British National Formulary) and even a child could now calculate the volume of tea one has to gobble down to have that therapeutic effect (as they claim)! It is also worth having to look at the side effect profile of theophylline before being inclined to guzzle gallons and gallons of tea like some people in the neighbouring countries did that with cow excreta recently to seek the same therapeutic benefit.    

Fumigation, the way to serenity 

The broad-spectrum disinfectant products currently in use in fumigation at industrial scale have not been tested on the novel coronavirus yet and hence its efficacy on this new virus has not been proven to date. Althoug, the novel coronavirus, being an enveloped virus, these chemicals are thought to have the same effect as for Influenza A and H1N1 (A surrogate virus for lipophilic viruses). When it comes to the household settings, simple hand-washing with good old soap and water could have more or less the same effect (split open the viral envelope and thereby deactivate) as that of high-end disinfectants. The significance of these simple measures seems to have not been adequately emphasised and propagated, but advice on herbal fumigation been glorified beyond someone’s expertise and astuteness. It is also beyond the author’s expertise to examine the medicinal value of herbal therapeutics here however, irrational use of any medications could have adverse effects not only on people with chronic illnesses but also on those who are utterly healthy.     

Scientific method vs folklore 

Philosophers already have explored and addressed general methodological problems, such as the nature of scientific explanation and the justification of induction (method of reasoning). The scientific method, therefore, is critical to the development of scientific theories, which explain empirical (experiential) laws in a scientifically rational manner. A researcher develops a hypothesis, tests it through various means, and modifies the hypothesis based on the outcome of the tests and experiments. When it comes to medical interventions, any test or treatment must be subjected to vigorous testing before any human application is instigated. Having said that, it would also be imprudent to seek highest levels of evidence (i.e. inference from systematic reviews or meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials) before any intervention is being implemented in a crisis. However, it’s our duty to make sure that the decisions on all recommendations, treatments or interventions to be drawn from consensus of a panel of experts and not from individual anecdotes.

Conclusion

Human physicality is unique in its composition, the way it responds (there are subtle idiosyncrasies) to an insult (i.e infection) and how it reacts to an intervention irrespective of someone’s religion, beliefs or skin colour. So do the virus, as proving its universality right in front of our eyes. There could, hence, be only one but not many solutions to the crisis as it unfolds its grim reality. Anyone with a slightest understanding of the dynamics of this predicament would agree that the ultimate solution to the crisis is nothing but a vaccine which obviously is going to be a scientific discovery. 

The Writer;s Institutional Affiliation: Southport General Hospital - United Kingdom
Correspondence: [email protected]