After hydroxychloroquine, the director of the IHU Méditerranée Infection, Didier Raoult, proposed the hypothesis of an application of several products, including the Vicks VapoRub ointment, to avoid “Virus contamination in the nose”, in a video posted on the IHU YouTube account.
“Is the paraffin in the nose, petroleum jelly in the nose, that we have in certain products? [comme] and Vicks […] Does it prevent virus contamination in the nose or not? Who knows ? “, he asked himself.
The product “should not be used under or in the nose”
Asked by a user, the brand Vicks, which markets the VapoRub, replied on Twitter that the ointment should not be applied “Only on the chest and throat to relieve coughs, and on muscles and joints for stiffness”.
As mentioned on the label, VapoRub should only be applied to the chest and throat to relieve a cough, and on muscles and joints for aches and pains. It shouldn’t be used under or in the nose, in the mouth, or ingested. An oil base product can get into the lungs if used improperly
— VapoRub (@VapoRub) August 3, 2021
The product “Must not be used under or in the nose, in the mouth or ingested. An oil-based product can enter the lungs if misused ”, added the firm.
On the ointment leaflet, Vicks recalls “Do not apply the product to the nostrils, eyes, mouth or face” and not “Never swallow the product”.
According to the medical journal Prescribe, applying the ointment on or under the nose may have unwanted effects. “Seizures or depigmentation spots on the face” in case of long-term use can be observed, reports the French-speaking Society of Pneumology.
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