Pharmacy Council and Food and Drugs Authority have said there is shortage of hydrogen peroxide in pharmaceutical facilities due to panic buying.
The mad rush for hydrogen peroxide comes days after a new research has shown that the use of hydrogen peroxide has actually proven to provide immediate protection against Covid-19.
According to the study, “A Case for Hydrogen Peroxide Mouthwash and Gargle to Limit SARS-CoV-2 Infection” the ‘traditional’ oral hygiene fluid which is inexpensive, readily available, and safe to use in low concentrations could be applied to reduce viral load in the oral and nasal cavities of Covid-19 patients and to inactivate the viruses they shed.
This, the study indicated, would protect contacts of Covid-19 patients and, especially, health workers from being infected.
Research team leader, Rev. Emeritus Prof. Andrews Seth Ayettey Retired Professor, University of Ghana Medical School, College of Health Sciences, in a release said a 1per cent nebulized hydrogen peroxide that would reach all parts of the respiratory tract including the alveoli could prove helpful in management of patients with early signs and symptoms of Covid-19.
He said in the on-going observational studies, the research team has become even more convinced about the efficacy of this solution, realizing that eight frontline nurses in the Covid-19 management team at a District Hospital using hydrogen peroxide had not contracted the disease and had tested negative since May 2020.
However, he indicated that in comparison, 62 of their colleagues not using peroxide had contracted the disease by end of December 2020.
In a joint press release, the two regulatory bodies said, “This has given rise to the sale of fake and substandard hydrogen peroxide on the market. Pharmacies and Over the Counter Medicine shops are hereby caution to always buy their stocks from licensed wholesalers and manufacturers”
The general public is also being reminded to purchase only FDA approved hydrogen peroxide and other medicinal products and be on the lookout for the mandatory FDA registration numbers on such products, if they are manufactured in Ghana.
The release further urged the public to report any case of suspicious medicines to the FDA and the Pharmacy Council for appropriate actions to be taken.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHZ|Ghana
