A Journal Was Released, Its Contents About Disinfectants With Unclear Effectiveness

Photo illustration (Tedward Quinn / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Various things have been done to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, one of which is by making ideas related to sterility. The use of disinfectants is one of them.

In disinfectants, there are several ingredients, such as chlorine and alcohol, which can kill bacteria. Usually sprayed on the surface of objects, such as door handles, tables, to the surface of the highway. During COVID-19, disinfectants became a mainstay because they were considered capable of sterilizing various areas.

However, according to the journal published by The Lancer Infectious Diseases, Monday, March 30, disinfection carried out on the surface of objects and the human body is not clear about its effectiveness in controlling disease and needs to be stopped. The widespread practice of spraying disinfectants and alcohol by air, on roads, vehicles, and people has no value.

After all, large amounts of alcohol and disinfectants are potentially harmful to humans and should be avoided. In addition, WHO has also warned against spraying disinfectants directly on the human body.

This is because disinfectants do not kill viruses and are dangerous if they are exposed to mucous membranes such as the eyes and mouth. Even if you still want to use a disinfectant, you must comply with the rules for its use.

#Indonesia, do not spray disinfectant directly on someone's body, because this can be dangerous. Only use disinfectants on surfaces. Come on # Fight COVID19 exactly! https://t.co/D7CuytPJPz pic.twitter.com/q9NEVGItkn

- WHO Indonesia (@WHOIndonesia) March 29, 2020

Public health experts in China also argue that mass disinfection efforts have mixed effectiveness in outbreak zones. Spraying disinfecting areas that are commonly touched, such as surfaces in hospitals, schools, and religious sites, can help kill germs. However, for the air or on the streets, it is not necessarily effective.

Disinfectant booth

However, various innovations have "already" been made. One of the innovations made was the manufacture of a disinfectant booth.

The disinfectant booth in Vietnam has a special material that is different from disinfectants for surface objects. There are salt water ions that have been designed and produced successfully by the Institute of Occupational Health and Environment, in collaboration with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology to be used in the medical examination area.

According to information from Vietnam's Ministry of Health, to prevent and combat COVID-19, the Institute is working with the Hanoi University of Technology to design and manufacture a successful reduction room.

In addition, a company in Chongqing, China, is also building tunnels to spray employees at an industrial complex with disinfectant before they start work. The tunnel is equipped with infrared which can activate a spray when someone enters. However, experts are still not sure whether this method is effective in fighting the COVID-19 virus.

In several regions in Indonesia also have innovations in disinfectant spraying. One of them is in Surabaya. The Mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini, introduced a new disinfectant device in the form of a booth named 'Trisakti Disinfectant Room'.

Special disinfectant kits are also made in other countries such as Thailand, Turkey and South Korea. But a special money disinfectant. Money is very susceptible to viruses and bacteria because it is used daily and is passed from one person to another. Therefore, it is important to sterilize money.

Indeed, everything must be tried to reduce the number of the spread of COVID-19. But keep in mind, even the WHO makes it clear that there is no known effective treatment to curb COVID-19. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to what ingredients are sprayed on the body so that they do not have the aim of eradicating the virus, instead it causes new problems.

In addition, WHO also does not recommend the use of antiviral drugs, antibiotics, glucocorticoids, or other traditional Chinese medicine. Do not use drugs whose efficacy is unknown. Clinical trials are indispensable in this context. Likewise, vaccine development is an urgent public health priority.