`Don't believe misleading messages about cure for coronavirus'

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday appealed people not to believe messages circulating on social media about `cure' for the coronavirus infection. These messages have no scientific basis, he said.

A message about a concoction of garlic cloves, curry leaves and cow urine, said to be prescribed by doctors and the "health department" for treating the virus infection, is circulating on social media.

"The health department has not issued any such messages. People should not believe such misleading messages and rumours," the minister said.

"The health department has issued an advisory recommending that people should eat fresh, clean and fully cooked nutritious food, wash hands frequently and cover the mouth with a handkerchief while coughing," he said.

"There is no specific drug for coronavirus but it is treated on the basis of symptoms. So people should not believe false messages," Tope said.

The coronavirus epidemic declared as a global health emergerny by the World Health Organisation has killed over 400 people in China since last month.