Double trouble: methanol outbreak in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran—a cross-sectional assessment

Hassanian‐Moghaddam, Hossein; Zamani, Nasim; Kolahi, Ali‐Asghar; McDonald, Rebecca; Hovda, Knut Erik

doi:10.1186/s13054-020-03140-w

Cited by 48 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…33 Following this misinformation, approximately 800 people have died, whereas 5,876 have been hospitalized and 60 have developed complete blindness after drinking methanol as a cure of coronavirus. 34 – 37 Similar rumors have been the reported cause of 30 deaths in Turkey. 38 Likewise, in Qatar, two healthy South Asian men ingested either surface disinfectant or alcohol-based hand sanitizer after exposures to COVID-19 patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

COVID-19–Related Infodemic and Its Impact on Public Health: A Global Social Media Analysis

Islam

Sarkar

Khan

et al. 2020

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

754

618

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Infodemics, often including rumors, stigma, and conspiracy theories, have been common during the COVID-19 pandemic. Monitoring social media data has been identified as the best method for tracking rumors in real time and as a possible way to dispel misinformation and reduce stigma. However, the detection, assessment, and response to rumors, stigma, and conspiracy theories in real time are a challenge. Therefore, we followed and examined COVID-19related rumors, stigma, and conspiracy theories circulating on online platforms, including fact-checking agency websites, Facebook, Twitter, and online newspapers, and their impacts on public health. Information was extracted between December 31, 2019 and April 5, 2020, and descriptively analyzed. We performed a content analysis of the news articles to compare and contrast data collected from other sources. We identified 2,311 reports of rumors, stigma, and conspiracy theories in 25 languages from 87 countries. Claims were related to illness, transmission and mortality (24%), control measures (21%), treatment and cure (19%), cause of disease including the origin (15%), violence (1%), and miscellaneous (20%). Of the 2,276 reports for which text ratings were available, 1,856 claims were false (82%). Misinformation fueled by rumors, stigma, and conspiracy theories can have potentially serious implications on the individual and community if prioritized over evidence-based guidelines. Health agencies must track misinformation associated with the COVID-19 in real time, and engage local communities and government stakeholders to debunk misinformation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

COVID-19–Related Infodemic and Its Impact on Public Health: A Global Social Media Analysis

Islam

Sarkar

Khan

et al. 2020

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

754

618

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Therefore, they contain substantial amounts of methanol because of either its lower price and higher availability or using substances such as bleach to discolor industrial alcohols by illegitimate sellers. Affecting key centers of toxicology in the country and occupying ICU beds and healthcare workforces, who were highly required to deal with COVID-19 patients, this outbreak left approximately 800 deaths, 5800 hospital admission, and 60 total blindness in an estimated 2-month period [7][8][9]. Similar disasters struck in Turkey, Mexico, and Egypt with 30, 200, and 1 death(s), respectively [5,10,11].…”

Section: Alcoholsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical Poisonings Imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Vahabzadeh

Mostafazadeh

2021

IJMTFM

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Background: Along with the COVID-19 pandemic, a new problem has appeared in the healthcare facilities: toxicities and poisonings caused by medications and home remedies, by which people have been trying to protect themselves from acquiring the virus. The authors of this paper aim to notify the global scientific society of several substances and medications that either have led to poisonings thus far or have the potential for an outbreak. Methods: Medical English literature reporting cases of poisonings during this pandemic between January and December 2020. Substances and drugs that could be a potential concern to public health are also reviewed. Results: Alcohols and chemical substances have been the main causes of poisonings during this pandemic. Opioids, household products and herbal remedies were partly to blame. Global spread of incorrect information related to the COVID-19 prevention and treatment is a major risk to human lives, particularly in this difficult situation where healthcare systems are overwhelms with high rate of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Conclusion: As additional waves of the coronaviruses may hit countries in the upcoming winter, confinements may as well continue. Therefore, emergency physicians must be prepared for possible outbreaks of poisonings and be able to predict any unusual pattern of toxicities.

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“…For example, in early 2020, a rumor circulating in Iran-that consuming alcohol (including disinfectants) could prevent or treat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection-coincided with 800 deaths from methanol poisoning. 4 Influxes in the spread of rumors are often observed during epidemics, such as the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, which has more recently been defined as an "infodemic" by the World Health Organization. 5 The term infodemic describes a situation where there is too much information circulating about a given topic and the information contains both accurate and inaccurate statements that make it difficult for people to distinguish one from the other.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Real-Time Tracking of COVID-19 Rumors Using Community-Based Methods in Côte d'Ivoire

Tibbels

Dosso²,

Allen-Valley

et al. 2021

Glob Health Sci Pract

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Rumors and misinformation undermine public health by creating barriers to protective practices and reducing trust in health responders. nWe developed an approach to real-time rumor tracking that leverages existing structures (like national hotlines) and local liaisons (such as community health workers) to submit rumors and misinformation to a central database. The rumors are rapidly coded using a standard form and visualized on custom dashboards.n During the 6-month pilot of this tool in Côte d'Ivoire, we received and coded 1,757 submissions and used the thematic findings to inform risk communication and community engagement activities.

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Double trouble: methanol outbreak in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran—a cross-sectional assessment

Cited by 48 publications

References 3 publications

COVID-19–Related Infodemic and Its Impact on Public Health: A Global Social Media Analysis

COVID-19–Related Infodemic and Its Impact on Public Health: A Global Social Media Analysis

Clinical Poisonings Imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Real-Time Tracking of COVID-19 Rumors Using Community-Based Methods in Côte d'Ivoire

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