Can the German Abmonak gargle solution prevent COVID-19?
Take a look at the viral advice, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : German Abmonak Gargle Solution Will Prevent COVID-19!
This is the second part of a viral message, that appears to be combined from two different viral messages. Read part one.
It claims that the German Abmonak gargle solution of semi-hot salt water will prevent and eliminate COVID-19!
It’s a long post, so just skip to the next section for the facts…
The end of the Corona virus with this German prevention.
German scientists announced, after a series of studies, that the Corona virus not only reproduces in the lungs like the SARS virus in 2002, but also spreads widely in the throat during the first week of infection.
Truth : German Abmonak Gargle Solution Useless Against COVID-19
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on Facebook and WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Abmonak Does Not Exist
Abmonak appears to be a made-up name. There is no such gargle solution called Abmonak, in Germany or anywhere else in the world.
Fact #2 : Gargling Cannot Prevent COVID-19
Gargling cannot prevent COVID-19, because the SARS-CoV-2 virus is transmitted through three principle ways :
- inhalation of respiratory droplets and aerosol particles,
- deposition of respiratory droplets and aerosol particles on exposed mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, or eye, and
- touching mucous membranes of the mouth, nose or eye, with contaminated hands
Gargling cannot prevent infection through inhalation or deposition of respiratory droplets and aerosols. Neither can it prevent infection through the touching of your mouth, nose or eye with contaminated hands.
Fact #3 : Salt Water Does Not Reduce Viral Load
An October 2021 study by Tiong et. al in Malaysia actually looked at the effectiveness of salt water gargle in directly destroying SARS-CoV-2.
The study found that salt water “did not show any reduction in viral load“, compared to commercial mouthwashes.
Gargle | Log10 Reduction In Viral Titres | |
Clean Condition | Dirty Condition | |
Colgate Plax | 5.0 | 5.0 |
Bactidol | 5.0 | 5.0 |
Oradex | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Thymol Mouthwash | 0.5 | 0.5 |
Salt Water | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Fact #4 : Gargle Reduces Transmission, Not Prevent Infection
Gargling does not help prevent infection, but it can help reduce transmission by infected persons who may be asymptomatic.
Gargling with povidone-iodine has been proven to reduce saliva viral load, which helps prevent COVID-19 positive individuals from infecting dental professionals.
Hence, Malaysia Ministry of Health (KKM) guidelines recommend the use of mouthwash containing 1.0–1.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.2–1.0% povidone iodine prior to dental examination and treatments.
In short, gargling with solutions like povidone-iodine is meant to protect dentists from being infected by their patients. It does not prevent you from being infected.
Fact #5 : Salt Water Is Slightly Alkaline
Salt water has an average pH of around 8.1, which means it is slightly alkaline.
Gargling with salt water can temporarily make your throat and oral cavity slightly alkaline, but this only lasts until you swallow some saliva or drink water.
Try gargling with salt water and see how long you can maintain (live with) the salty taste. Didn’t take long for you to swallow, did it?
That’s why it is practically useless to gargle with salt water (or anything else), if you want to create a truly alkaline environment in your throat.
Fact #6 : Making Throat Alkaline Is Pointless
Turning your throat alkaline is also pointless because the SARS-CoV-2 virus generally does not infect you through the throat.
It mainly infects you through your nose, mouth and eyes. See Fact #2. So focusing on the throat is like watering the garden plants while your house is on fire…
Fact #7 : COVID-19 Is Not Caused By Coronavirus Mouse Hepatitis Virus 4
This fake news is based on a misunderstanding of a 1991 research paper called “Alteration of the pH Dependence of Coronavirus-Induced Cell Fusion: Effect of Mutations in the Spike Glycoprotein”.
The paper was talking about a completely different coronavirus – MHV4 (Coronavirus Mouse Hepatitis Type 4), which is completely different from SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
In fact, the paper also pointed out that the wild-type MHV4 virus has no problem infecting cells at neutral pH. The scientists had to create variants that were specifically dependent on acidic pH to fuse host cells.
In other words, the fake news creators misrepresented what the paper said, to mislead you about the effect of alkaline pH on the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Don’t waste your time gargling. Protect yourself by getting vaccinated against COVID-19!
And please SHARE this fact check with your family and friends!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
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