As cases of dengue continue to increase, a claim that a medicine can cure it in just 48 hours is buzzing around all over social media. An image of a tablet, Caripill, is being shared with a message, i.e., ‘it is a medicine which cures dengue in 48 hours. It is available free @ Antahkarana, create awareness, it might help someone’, and then are few mobile numbers are given along this message.
डेंगू को 48 घंटे मे समाप्त
करने की क्षमता रखने वाली
दवा । कृपया इस संदेश को
अधिक से अधिक लोगो तक भेजे । pic.twitter.com/p5yrPq7AMS— Dr. Abdul Jabbar (@DrAbdulJabbar4u) September 18, 2016
Newschecker also received this message on Whatsapp. The claim sounds too good to be true, so we had to verify it.
During our research, we found that this claim is being shared again and again from the past 3-4 years.
Fact Check
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. It may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash.
To know whether this tablet exists, we explored Google and found a medicine retailer website, 1mg.com, which has been selling this medicine. According to the description, this medicine has Papaya Extract that helps to increase the platelet count.
On another website, a syrup of this medicine was also available with usage instructions.
We found an article on ‘how to use papaya leaves to fight dengue,’ which says Papaya leaves contain phenolic compounds, papain and alkaloids, and these nutrients act as healthy antioxidants which, in turn, enhance the body’s immunity.
But is it possible to cure dengue in just 48 hours? To confirm this, we contacted an Ayurvedic Doctor, according to whom papaya leaves can increase platelet counts in patients suffering from dengue, but curing it entirely in 48 hours is not at all possible.
According to a website solely dedicated to this medicine, Caripill tablet is a herbal pill manufactured by a micro lab of Banglore. The prescribed dosage mentioned on the website is 4 to 5 days. This website does not claim to cure dengue in just 48 hours.
Even the World Health Organisation has not prescribed any particular medicine to cure dengue.
After reading all the facts and consulting the experts, we concluded that this medicine can increase the platelet count but cannot cure dengue in just 48 hours.
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