So you thought steam inhalation works against COVID? TN minister differs

Inhaling steam or pressurised air ain’t going to kill a virulent, deadly virus and is not a cure for the highly infectious COVID-19 disease, which has paralysed the world.

This is in essence what Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian tried to convey recently when he issued a warning to the general public not to practice steam inhalation as a COVID-19 cure without the advice of a doctor.

An India Today report said that the minister cautioned people from inhaling steam or pressurised air because that could only cause more damage to the lungs. This practice had gained ground after several messages on social media claimed that steam inhalation helps to fight COVID-19, he said.

Also read: Are you worried after being vaccinated? Then here is some news for you

Several health experts had criticised the railway police for installing a bunch of nebulizers at the Central Railway station for steam inhalation. And, they had pointed out that there were more chances of people contracting the virus when many people used the same nebulizer for steam inhalation.

Ma Subramanian therefore requested organisations and NGOs not to install such nebulizers in public areas since it would become a mode of transmission of the virus from asymptomatic patients to others.