Dettol Knew About Coronavirus (COVID-19) Beforehand? Here's Truth from the Company About the Viral Image Claiming 'Disinfectant Kills Coronavirus'

Dettol is trending all over social media currently, just like it did a couple of weeks ago, based on the fact that it knew about the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, way before. This has stemmed out of the fact that back description on the bottle consists of the "coronavirus". The fear of Coronavirus has gripped everyone globally as the number of fatalities continues to rise. The number of infections has crossed over a lakh globally and the pandemic has spread to over 30 countries. Amidst all the information and updates on COVID-19 that continue to come up on social media, there are a lot of fake reports and messages being shared online. From the last few days, an image of the label of Dettol cleaner is being shared widely on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. The text at the back of Dettol disinfectant mentions, "Kills E.Coli, Sammonella [sic], MRSA, Rotavirus, Flu virus, Cold viruses (Human Coronavirus and RSV)." But is it true? Had Dettol already tested the product against the deadly disease? Well, no, the claim is false, and the company had themselves issued a clarification on the matter. Coronavirus Hoax Message: Employees to Get Paid Leave From March 5? Viral WhatsApp Forward About COVID-19 Is Fake!

The label of Dettol Disinfectant was first shared on Facebook about a month ago and it went viral. Some people questioned how the company knew about the outbreak much before. The same image has come up on Twitter in the last few days. But the mention of Coronavirus does not refer to the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak in China. As the image went viral, the company themselves issued a confirmation on the matter. "RB has become aware of speculation about Dettol products and the novel 2019-nCoV coronavirus. As this is an emerging outbreak, RB, like all manufacturers, doesn't yet have access to the new virus (2019-nCoV) for testing and, as a result, are not yet in a position to confirm levels of effectiveness against the new strain," said the company.

Here's The Viral Image of Dettol Label:

The information is partly true as the Human coronavirus mentioned here is not the COVID-19 as people are assuming. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome. Is Coronavirus an Epidemic or a Pandemic? Know The Meaning and Difference Between These Terms.

With the company's own clarification on the image, the claim of disinfectant killing COVID-19 stands false. If you come across this image on WhatsApp or Twitter, make sure you correct the person on the partial truth of the claim.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2020 10:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).