Doctors in India are warning against using cow dung in the hopes of warding off COVID-19, claiming that there is no scientific evidence for its efficacy and that it could spread other diseases.
India has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, with 22.66 million cases and 246,116 deaths recorded so far. Real figures may be five to ten times higher, according to experts, and people around the world are unable to find hospital beds, oxygen, or medications, causing many to die due to a lack of care.
Some believers in Gujarat have been going to cow shelters once a week to cover their bodies in cow dung and urine in the hopes of increasing their immunity to, or aiding their recovery from, disease. COVID-19 is a virus that infects people.
“As you can see… Even doctors visit this place. Their intuition is that this therapy boosts their immunity, allowing them to care for patients without fear,” said Gautam Manilal Borisa, an associate manager at a pharmaceuticals firm who said the practise helped him recover from COVID-19 last year.