India News | Now Playing: A Rap Song to Discourage Spitting in Public Places to Combat Coronavirus
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Union health ministry on Friday put up a rap song on its website exhorting people not to spit in public places as the novel coronavirus can spread through saliva.
New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) The Union health ministry on Friday put up a rap song on its website exhorting people not to spit in public places as the novel coronavirus can spread through saliva.
The one-minute-25-second video clip explains why one should not spit in public places and how spitting following consumption of smokeless tobacco can lead to spread of the novel coronavirus.
Union Minister for Health Harsh Vardhan had appealed to all states and union territories to ban smokeless tobacco and spitting in public places to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.
In a letter addressed to all state health ministers, Vardhan said smokeless tobacco users have a tendency to spit in public places or otherwise and therefore, increase health risks especially those of spreading infectious and contagious diseases like COVID-19, tuberculosis, swine flu, encephalitis, etc., he had underlined.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had also appealed to the general public to not consume and spit smokeless tobacco products in public places stating "chewing smokeless tobacco products (gutka, pan masala with tobacco, paan and other chewing tobacco products) and areca nut (supari) increases the production of saliva followed by a very strong urge to spit. Spitting in public places could enhance the spread of the COVID-19 virus."
The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,706 and the number of cases climbed to 1, 65,799 in the country registering an increase of 175 deaths and a record jump of 7,466 cases in the last 24 hours till Friday 8 AM, according to the Union Health Ministry.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)