Adhering to right preparation of hydrogen peroxide to prevent COVID-19 infection very important

In the last few days, the Ghanaian Times published a story on the use of hydrogen peroxide, an oral remedy to ward off the deadly coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 pandemic and since then we have been inundated with enquiries about the right usage of the solution.

In fact, some members of the public were unclear about the usage following the emergence of viral videos, with one in which a lady has been explaining how to mix the liquid with water before gurgle.

As an organisation seeking the public good, we had to contact the experts who carried out the research on the solution and advised the public to strictly adhere to the right preparation of hydrogen peroxide to help protect them against the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

According to Reverend Emeritus Professor Andrews Seth Ayettey, Lead researcher on the traditional oral hygiene fluid, failure to go by the accurate measurement may not bring about the desired results and make one still susceptible to the pandemic.

The Professor said the concentrations for each mixture were key to both efficacy and safety of the hydrogen peroxide use and cautioned that the researchers did not want people to take the mixture and say it did not work or had had some negative effect, when they did not, in fact, use the right measurement.

Prof. Ayettey has, therefore, cautioned the public to ignore all other formulas and rather adhere to the recommendation by the researchers.

Thus, he clarified the dose, first by saying that for mouth gargling with hydrogen peroxide, just one per cent solution was enough remedy against the virus.

“First of all, people must check the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide indicated on the bottle when they buy. If it is six per cent, mix one part (using the lid), with five parts (using same lid) of water to get the one per cent solution.

“However, if the hydrogen peroxide you buy is three per cent, mix one part with two parts of clean water to get the one per cent solution for mouthwash and gurgling.

“Let it stay in your mouth for one minute after which you spit it out. DO NOT SWALLOW IT,” he warned.

The medical scientist advised that people should wait for 30 minutes after performing the procedure before eating or drinking, but “at night, the gargling can be done just before bedtime.”

He explained further that to prepare the 0.5 per cent nasal solution, one must mix the one per cent hydrogen peroxide with one part of water, then dip a cotton or pipette in it to use for the nasal wash after which people must remember to wash their nose with water.

Prof. Ayettey further advised that for children under 12 years and other individuals who could not gargle, a clean cloth could be dipped into the solution to clean the mouth and nose.

After his clarification and caution, he implored the public to purchase only Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) – approved hydrogen peroxide from licenced pharmacies.

Meanwhile, the FDA and Pharmacy Council (PC) have asked the public to beware of fake and substandard hydrogen peroxide on the market.

The Ghanaian Times is grateful to the researchers, particularly Prof. Ayettey, for being magnanimous with their clarification, which can be described as a public health service.

We see it important to state that disobeying the expert advice in the use of any medicine is tantamount to self-medication, which is harmful to the body. Self-medication often does not help cure but rather aggravates the sickness.

To this end, we wish to say that adhering to the expert advice on drug use is the best way to ensure our cure.