Halil Fidan
17 March 2020•Update: 17 March 2020
IZMIR
A Turkish scientist on Tuesday warned that mixing different cleaning materials could be damaging to health and that people should dilute bleach before use in cleaning their houses while trying to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, medical microbiologist Selda Erensoy said personal hygiene was of the utmost importance in avoiding the novel coronavirus which has claimed over 7,000 lives across the globe so far.
Erensoy, an academic at Ege University in Izmir, advised the use of soap and alcohol-based disinfectants such as a traditional Turkish scented sanitizer known as kolonya.
"If there are sick people in homes or workplaces being cleaned, they need to be isolated," she said, adding they could be affected by the cleaning materials.
She went on to say that people should refrain from mixing disinfectants, such as vinegar and bleach, as this could trigger a chemical reaction that could be harmful to health.
"It is of importance that people with respiratory problems, asthma and allergies are not exposed to [mixed disinfectants]," she said.
She called on people to wash their hands frequently as this is one of the most effective ways to counter the COVID-19 outbreak and keep common areas and items, such as door handles, clean.
The virus emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 146 countries and territories. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.
Out of 183,500 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 7,100, while more than 79,900 patients have recovered, according to Worldometer, a website that compiles new case numbers.
The current number of active cases is more than 88,500 -- 93% mild and 7% in critical condition.
* Writing by Ali Murat Alhas
