Viral Message Claiming P-500 Paracetamol Tablets Contain Machupo Virus Is A Hoax.

A message warning people against the use of P-500 paracetamol tablets is going viral on social media. The message reads," URGENT WARNING!

Be careful not to take the paracetamol that comes written P/500. It is a new, very white and shiny paracetamol, doctors advise that it contains "Machupo" virus, considered one of the most dangerous viruses in the world, with a high mortality rate. Please share this message, with all the people on your contact list as well as family, and save a life or lives... I've done my part, now it's your turn... remember that God helps those who helps others & themselves!"

The same message was forwarded to our 24X7 factline number 9049053770.

Archived Link.

However, as we investigated, we came to know that the message was a hoax. Here's the fact check.

Fact Check

We started our investigation by conducting a relevant keyword search. As a result, we found an advisory issued by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) of the Singapore government. The advisory was issued on 2 August 2017. The advisory read, "The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) would like to inform members of the public that an “alert” that is circulating on social media regarding the transmission of “Machupo” virus through paracetamol tablets is a hoax. Its content is untrue..."

Please read here. Archived Link.

Moving forward, we came across a press release by the Malaysian Government denouncing this hoax and stating that the tablet contains no virus.

We found a report by The Hindu stating the viral message is a hoax. Please read the article here.

The same message has been going viral in different countries at different times.

Various reports on it can be read here, here and here.

Archived Link.

Archived Link.

Machupo Mammarenavirus

Bolivian haemorrhagic fever (BHF), also known as black typhus or Ordog Fever, is a haemorrhagic fever and zoonotic infectious disease originating in Bolivia after infection by Machupo Mammarenavirus. The disease was first encountered in 1962 in the Bolivian village of San Joaquín, hence the name “Bolivian” Haemorrhagic Fever. When initial investigations failed to find an arthropod carrier, other sources were sought before determining that infected mice carried the disease. Although most items were not the cause as initially suspected, the extermination of mosquitoes using DDT to prevent malaria proved to be indirectly responsible for the outbreak in that the accumulation of DDT in various animals along the food chain led to a shortage of cats in the village; subsequently, a mouse plague erupted in the town, leading to an epidemic. Read more.

Machupo Virus, or Bolivian Haemorrhagic Fever Virus, does indeed cause a severe, disseminated infection involving the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and lungs. As a result, haemorrhages appear in the skin, liver, oral cavity and adrenal cortex. As suggested in the message, the disease has a significant mortality risk. However, the transmission of the Machupo Virus usually happens via direct contact with infectious body fluids. Therefore, it is unlikely the virus sustains for such a long time in a dry environment, like in tablets, without a native host.

For more information, we contacted Dr Bikash Das, a senior doctor of medicine who confirmed that the viral message was a hoax. He said, " CDC which is the national health agency of united states and Govt of Singapore has totally rejected it claiming it as hoax...Till now any literature not available from India health agencies. But from my personal point of view, it is totally baseless and False”.

Even though multiple newspapers, fact-checkers and government agencies have put out information stating that the data is a hoax, this message continues to be viral.

Conclusion

A viral alert warning against a fatal Machupo virus found in Paracetamol (P-500) tablets was false. Available reports suggest that the Machupo Virus infection cases appeared only in Central and South America.

These warning messages about the deadly Machupo Virus in Paracetamol tablets appeared online since at least February 2017 and went global. In August 2017, the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore clarified that the messages were false. Health officials ls in Malaysia also warned people about the rumours and asked people not to forward them.

Nonetheless, as a word of caution, buying and using medicines manufactured by registered companies is always safe.