Long lines form each morning in one of the Bolivian cities most affected by the coronavirus pandemic as desperate people wait to buy small bottles of chlorine dioxide, a toxic bleaching agent that has been falsely touted as a cure for Covid-19. and a myriad of other diseases.
The rush in the city of Cochabamba to buy a disinfectant that is known to cause harm to those who ingest it comes even after the Bolivian Ministry of Health warned of its dangers and said that at least five people had been poisoned after taking chlorine dioxide in La Paz, the capital. .
“The health ministry cannot risk recommending something that does not have a scientific basis,” said Miguel Ángel Delgado, a senior ministry official.
However, the opposition-controlled Bolivian Congress is promoting the use of chlorine dioxide. Last week, the Senate passed a bill authorizing the emergency “manufacture, market, supply and use chlorine dioxide solution for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus.”
The bill would require the approval of Acting President Jeanine Áñez, who is in quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus. She has clashed with opposition lawmakers loyal to Evo Morales, the former leader who was forced to resign last year after a disputed election.
Many fearful residents in Cochabamba, where opposition support is strong, are testing for chlorine dioxide. Cochabamba has reported 440 deaths from Covid-19, or a quarter of the total number of deaths reported in Bolivia. The actual figure is believed to be higher.
“I’m scared. I have to try,” said Andrés Poma, a 34-year-old teacher who is skeptical that the embattled health services can help him if he gets sick. “What am I going to do? Wait to die at the door of the hospital or at the door of my house?
Provincial health authorities reported 10 cases of chlorine dioxide poisoning last week.
Cochabamba state governor Esther Soria said she supports a plan for a state law authorizing the use of chlorine dioxide and traditional medicine to treat Covid-19. Cochabamba Mayor José María Leyes said he favors the free distribution of the bleaching agent to treat patients.
But Fernando Rengel, president of the Cochabamba scientific association, said that there are old beliefs that the toxic substance is “miraculous” and cures cancer, AIDS, malaria and other diseases, “but there is no scientific study that shows that cures any disease. ” .
Chlorine dioxide is one of a series of fake cures that have been promoted, often by fringe groups online, since the pandemic began.
In April, a federal judge in South Florida ordered a Colombian-based group, the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, to stop selling a related product, Miracle Mineral Solution, in the United States. Prosecutors said Genesis marketed the solution as a treatment for Covid-19, autism, and other ailments.
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued public warnings that MMS can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe dehydration.
In April, Donald Trump reflected on whether disinfectants could be injected or ingested to fight Covid-19, prompting a sharp pullback from doctors and other health officials.
