The world was shocked when Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America, suggested the possibility of an injection of disinfectant into a person who has been infected with virus could happen to kill the virus.
During a daily briefing on Thursday this week, President Trump said:
“The virus dies quickest in sunlight. So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just a very powerful light — and I think you said that hasn’t been checked because of the testing and then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or some other way, and I think you said you’re going to test that, too. I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? As you see, it gets in the lungs, it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.”
What Doctors And Health Officials Said
Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and a global health policy expert, was one of the first one doctors who challenged the improper health message of the President.
Dr. Gupta said: “This notion of injecting or ingesting any type of cleansing product into the body is irresponsible and it’s dangerous. It’s a common method that people utilize when they want to kill themselves.”
Julian Zelizar, a presidential historian at the Princeton University, said: “He’s like the family member around the dinner table that doesn’t have a grasp of what reality is and is willing to speak with confidence. But in this case it’s the president of the United States and it’s dangerous.”
What Disinfectant Companies Said
Reckitt Benckiser, the parent company that makes Lysol and Dettol, said: “We must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).”
Clorox Co. said: “Bleach and other disinfectants are not suitable for consumption or injection under any circumstances.”
What Did The White House Say?
After the bizarre and very dangerous comments that were left and said by Trump, the White House said the president’s comments had been misrepresented by the media, and Trump said he had been speaking sarcastically.