Mobile phones can spread coronavirus, suggests article by doctors of AIIMS Raipur
Mohit Sharma | Principal Correspondent
The article says that while there are close to 1.2 billion cellphone users in India, healthcare workers too use mobile phones for multiple reasons.
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New Delhi: A group of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Raipur has suggested that mobile phones could possibly be a potential vector for the coronavirus. They have further suggested that personal hygiene practices should be incorporated in healthcare settings.
The ‘commentary’ published by five doctors in the BMJ Global Health Journal, claims that while the use of mobile phones go unrestricted in hospitals and other healthcare institutes, it could be the missing link in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic.
The article comes in the wake of a number of healthcare workers either having been reported as Covid-19 positive or currently kept under quarantine due to coming in contact with someone who has been tested positive.
The article says that while there are close to 1.2 billion cellphone users in India, healthcare workers too use mobile phones for multiple reasons.
“Apart from the social media use, health professionals use mobile phones to follow health-related news, communicate with one another, look up updated guidelines, drug interactions, adverse events and health research, for photography, sharing medical documents, conducting tele-consultations and patient tracking…all resulting in extensive use of mobile phones,” the article said.
However, even as the article goes on list why and how the mobile phones can be carriers of the disease, it also admits that there is no supporting evidence to the theory. “There has never been any concrete evidence that mobile phone hygiene has reduced disease transmission,” read the article.
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The article further says that with the usage of mobile being a one where the device comes in contact with the user and since neither the device can be washed or disposed, it can very well be a vector for diseases like coronavirus.
“Mobile phones can effectively negate hand hygiene, as there can often be seemingly compulsive and frequent use of mobile phones immediately after hand washing or hand rubbing with alcohol-based sanitizers. There is growing evidence that mobile phones are a potential vector for pathogenic organisms,” the article further said.
Interestingly, the article has suggested that the usage of mobile phones be restricted in hospitals and healthcare institutes. The restrictions, however, should also include restrictions on sharing of headphones and phone chargers.
Meanwhile, the article also emphasis on hand washing, and usage of disposable or washable mobile covers along with disinfecting the cell phone equipment with minimum quantities which have been prescribed by mobile phone manufacturing companies.