The controversy over chlorine dioxide grows in Bolivia, long lines in the city of Cochabamba to buy the product, which has been banned in several countries for having harmful effects on health, people infected with Coronavirus consume it in hopes of overcoming the disease.
While the interim government of Jeanine Añez banned the promotion of chlorine dioxide or CDS, the opposition, sympathizers of former President Evo Morales, promote the consumption of the disinfectant product. The Pan American Health Organization has warned of the effects of the harmful product, which contains the components of bleach, reactions in human tissues, and irritation of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach.
Last Monday, the Bolivian health ministry announced that people who promote the consumption of chlorine dioxide will be prosecuted by the country’s justice, due to the fact that people have appeared who recommend the harmful product. For its part, the Ministry of Health has reported that there are cases of intoxicated people in La Paz, «The Ministry may risk recommending something that does not have a scientific basis«, said Miguel Ángel Delgado, vice-minister of Health System Management.
From the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Health, the government has confirmed that it does not approve the consumption of the controversial product. He has also accused the Bolivian Committee of Chlorine Dioxide Solution of lacking institutionality and warns that the protocol has no scientific basis and puts the lives of citizens at risk.
#IMPORTANTE pic.twitter.com/G1004w7Iqm
— Salud Bolivia (@MinSaludBolivia) July 20, 2020
For its part, from the legislature, the Bolivian Senate gave a half-enactment to a law that allows its preparation and commercialization, this according to Senate President Eva Copa, would be a measure taken to avoid the black market.
Bolivia has confirmed a total of 60,991 infected and 2,218 deaths due to the Coronavirus, to this day. Despite attempts by the government to warn the population about chlorine dioxide, citizens continue to queue for the disinfectant product, including the police and the military.