Coronavirus is a viral disease that leads to the development of a serious complication - pneumonia. This is a new genotype of the virus, the causes of which are unknown. Some information sources say that bananas and coronavirus are interrelated concepts. According to their version, the disease develops in people after eating bananas.
What is the connection between bananas and coronavirus?
In instant messengers and other social networks, people receive messages urging them not to eat bananas because of the coronavirus. The reports do not provide information about the link between fruits and the spread of 2019-nCoV. The authors urge you to stop eating bananas for a while and send the message to your family and friends, but it is better to post it in group chats.
The report refers to the death of 23 people who were diagnosed with infection with the 2019-nCoV virus. The age of the victims ranged from 1 to 35 years. Doctors who have been in contact with patients have been quarantined. Channel One news reports that you can get coronavirus from bananas.
There is no connection between this fruit and the coronavirus at all. But, horror stories about fruit periodically appear on the Internet. For example, in social networks in 2016, information appeared that bananas were pumping the blood of people with HIV. In fact, it is not white blood, but a fungus that has a red color.
Is it possible to get coronavirus through bananas?
Reports claim that the coronavirus is transmitted through bananas. About whether this is true or not, there are disputes on the Internet between pseudo-experts. Some say that bananas should not be eaten, especially if they were brought from China. Doctors say that the reason for the spread of the epidemic was the Chinese market, which is located in the city of Wuhan. It sells seafood, meat and offal. Fruits are not sold on the market.
People who spread the fake on the Internet claim that the virus persists for a long time on bananas, as well as on other parcels from China. It is not true. Infection is observed only if a person has close contact with an infected person. Most often, the appearance of coronavirus is observed in people who lived in the same house with the patient and cared for him.
In medical institutions, cases of transmission of the virus from person to person by airborne droplets have been reported. The coronavirus was diagnosed in the medical staff who provided care to the sick.
The head of the laboratory of influenza and influenza-like diseases at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Microbiology and Epidemiology, Natalya Shmeleva, reports that the virus has a low resistance to the environment, which reduces the possibility of infection through parcels and fruits that are shipped from China. This hypothesis is confirmed by the epidemiologist Zoran Radovanovic. He says that the delivery time for parcels is about 3 weeks. During this time, the virus dies. The maximum lifetime of the virus in an open environment is 2 hours.
At a temperature of 56 degrees, the coronavirus is completely destroyed, and at 37 degrees, its deactivation is observed.
Where did this fake come from?
The involvement of bananas in the coronavirus was discussed almost immediately after its appearance. This is due to economic motives and benefits, because the message calls not to eat bananas from China. It was created by competitors for economic gain.
The Ministry of Health has issued a series of recommendations to identify real dangers and prevent panic. Scientists suggest that the 2019-nCoV virus is a hybrid between a bat coronavirus and another virus that is currently unknown. The cause of the epidemic has not been established. But, scientists suggest that the disease has spread due to the local market, which sells bats, poultry, snakes and other animals.
The virus can be transmitted by airborne droplets and contact. If an infected person has touched food or household items, then they can become infected through them. Perhaps there was such a situation that the patient touched bananas that a healthy person ate and became infected. That is why the fake appeared.
Bananas are a fruit that is eaten almost all over the world. Scientists confirm that they are not the cause of the coronavirus. They allow even fruit brought from China to be eaten, since the virus, even if it gets on them, will die during transportation. Coronavirus is a serious and under-researched disease. Therefore, doctors urge to turn to them for help when the first symptoms appear - cough, fever, fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle pain.