TheCable Fact Check
  • Home
  • Fact Check
  • Fake News
  • Check Am For Wazobia
Reading: FACT CHECK: No, paracetamol pills do not contain Machupo virus
Share
Latest News
Rárá, Nàìjíríà kò fi àwọn ọmọ iṣẹ́ ológun rán sẹ sí Ísírẹ́lì láti dá rògbòdìyàn tó ń ṣẹlẹ̀ níbẹ̀ dúró
Ḿbà, Naijiria ézipụ̀ghị̀ ńdị́ ágha ńkwàdó ùdó nà òbòdò Isreal
No, Nigeria no send peace support mission go Israel
A’a, Najeriya ba ta tura tawagar taimakon zaman lafiya zuwa Isra’ila ba
Ǹjẹ́ Tinubu àti Alexander Zingman lọ sí ilé-ìwé kan náà? Èyí ni ohun tí a mọ̀
Tinubu nà Alexander Zingman ọ̀ gàrà ótù ụ́lọ̀ákwụ́kwọ́? Lèé íhé ányị́ mà
Tinubu go di same school wit Alexander Zingman? Na wetin we sabi be dis
Shin Tinubu ya halarci makaranta daya da Alexander Zingman? Ga abin da muka sani
Advertisement
Aa
TheCable Fact CheckTheCable Fact Check
Search
  • Home
  • Fact Check
  • Fake News
  • Check Am For Wazobia
Follow US

FACT CHECK: No, paracetamol pills do not contain Machupo virus

Jesupemi Are
By Jesupemi Are Published August 19, 2023 4 Min Read
Share

A message making the rounds on WhatsApp has advised people against the use of paracetamol with P/500 written on it.

The message warns that the drug contains the Machupo virus and anyone who takes it would be infected.

“Be careful not to take the paracetamol that comes written P-500. It is a new, very white and shiny paracetamol, doctors advice that it contains “Machupo” virus, considered one of the most dangerous viruses in the world, with a high mortality rate,” the message reads.

Apart from WhatsApp, the message also appeared on Facebook.

“Please share this message with all people in your contact list as well as family, and save a life or lives… I’ve done my part; now it’s your turn … remember that God helps those who help other & themselves! Forward as received,” the post concluded.

The post did not state if a medical expert or pharmaceutical institution was consulted before the conclusion was reached.

Paracetamol is a pain reliever usually prescribed to treat mild to moderate pain and reduce fever. The usual dose administered to adults is usually 500 milligrams or 1 gram.

Machupo is a zoonotic disease also known as black typhus or Bolivian hemorrhagic fever. It was first discovered in 1959 in Bolivia, and cases have only been recorded in the South American country.

According to Standford University, the virus “spreads through aerosolized, food-borne, or direct contact with virus particles”.

Are paracetamol pills laced with Machupo virus?

VERIFICATION

Checks by TheCable show that the message has been in circulation since 2017 and several platforms have debunked the news.

In 2017, the Malaysian ministry of health said the report is fake and should be disregarded.

The ministry added that it had not received any reports regarding paracetamol containing the Machupo virus from any manufacturer.

On May 7, the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority, through a statement said the circulating message on social media is “inaccurate and not a cause for concern”. The regulatory agency added that no cases of the Machupo virus could be linked to paracetamol.

Nonso Odili, pharmacist and CEO of DrugIT, told TheCable that the message is nothing but fake news which has been debunked several times.

“This is old. There was a time a few years ago when it was circulating. At the time, it was debunked as fake news. At the time, WHO and NAFDAC did not say anything about it, probably because it was not worthy of attention,” he said.

“It’s always safe to only use NAFDAC-registered products.”

Also commenting on the matter, Olusayo Akintola, spokesperson of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC), said such a claim can be disregarded since the post did not reference a  “laboratory test” the drug was subjected to.

VERDICT

The claim that paracetamol tablets contain Machupo virus is false. The recurring hoax has appeared in different countries and it has equally been debunked multiple times.

TAGGED: Fact Check, Machupo virus, Paracetamol

Please send your feedback, claims to fact check and corrections requests to [email protected]

Jesupemi Are December 13, 2023 August 19, 2023
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

POPULAR POSTS

Advertisement

Rárá, Nàìjíríà kò fi àwọn ọmọ iṣẹ́ ológun rán sẹ sí Ísírẹ́lì láti dá rògbòdìyàn tó ń ṣẹlẹ̀ níbẹ̀ dúró

Ìròyìn lati inú fídíò Facebook kan sọ pé Nàìjíríà fi àwọn ọmọ ogun ránṣẹ́ sí…

June 28, 2025

Ḿbà, Naijiria ézipụ̀ghị̀ ńdị́ ágha ńkwàdó ùdó nà òbòdò Isreal

Ótù ihe ngosị si na Facebook kwuru na Naijiria zipụrụ ndị agha ka ha gaa…

June 28, 2025

No, Nigeria no send peace support mission go Israel

One Facebook video claim sey Nigeria send soldiers go Israel for joint peace support mission.…

June 28, 2025

A’a, Najeriya ba ta tura tawagar taimakon zaman lafiya zuwa Isra’ila ba

Wani faifan bidiyo na Facebook ya nuna cewa Najeriya ta tura dakaru domin aikin hadin…

June 28, 2025
Advertisement
Advertisement

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Did Tinubu attend same school as Alexander Zingman? Here is what we know

During the launch of the renewed hope mechanisation programme in Abuja on Monday, President Bola Tinubu said Alexander Zingman, a…

Fact CheckTop Stories
June 24, 2025

FACT CHECK: No, Nigeria didn’t deploy peace support mission to Israel

A Facebook video purports that Nigeria deployed troops for a joint peace support mission in Israel. A male broadcaster reporting…

Fact Check
June 24, 2025

FACT CHECK: Did lawmakers skip the national anthem during Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech?

A viral X post claims that Nigeria’s new national anthem was not recited during the Democracy Day event at the…

Fact CheckTop Stories
June 13, 2025

FACT CHECK: Did a military coup oust Paul Biya as Cameroon’s president?

Reports of a military coup in Cameroon ousting President Paul Biya have gone viral on social media. On Tuesday, jimmoexpress37,…

Fact CheckTop Stories
June 13, 2025

CableCheck seeks to provide reliable tools and resources for readers to tackle the menace of fake and misleading materials constantly pushed into the public space from various sources. We monitor the accuracy of claims made in traditional and social media. We also provide a tracker to hold politicians and policymakers accountable for the plans and promises they make to the public. CableCheck is a project of the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF), supported by the MacArthur Foundation and implemented by TheCable newspaper.

Follow US: 

LINKS

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Non-Partisanship Policy
  • Funding
  • Correction Policy
© Copyright TheCable. All Rights reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?