Volcanic ash can kill the coronavirus.
Below is a screenshot of the misleading post:, The post’s Tagalog-language caption translates to English as: “Do you know why the philippines is not that much affected by the coronavirus. It’s because of the eruption of taal. Volcanic ash can kill virus.”, The Taal volcano erupted on January 12, 2020, prompting the Philippine government to order the evacuation of hundreds of thousands over fears of a subsequent massive blast. The mass evacuation order was lifted two weeks later, after ash and gas emissions steadily shrank, AFP reported here on January 26, 2020., The novel coronavirus has spread to at least 99 countries and territories and infected 110,000 since emerging in late 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, AFP reported here on March 9, 2020., , The Philippines health department has said there were 33\xa0confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country as of 4pm on March 10, 2020., A similar claim about coronavirus cases in the Philippines supposedly being contained by the Taal volcano’s ash has been shared alongside infographics listing its purported “anti-viral” and “disinfectant qualities” here and here on Twitter, as well as here on YouTube., The claim is misleading; health experts said there is no scientific evidence for the claim, as they warned against the hazardous properties of volcanic ash., “There is no evidence that volcanic ash can destroy the new coronavirus,” a representative for the WHO Philippines told AFP in a text message on March 7, 2020. “The purported anti-viral properties of volcanic ash has not been established. It is hazardous to health and may result in respiratory issues, eye problems and skin irritation.”, , There is no vaccine or anti-viral medicine to date to prevent or treat COVID-19, the official name of the disease caused by the new coronavirus strain, this WHO page states., The Philippine health department issued a similar warning on the health hazards of volcanic ash after the Taal volcano erupted., This January 12, 2020 advisory reads: “Conditions which may be experienced after exposure to volcanic ash and gases include nose and throat irritation, coughing, bronchitis-like illness, discomfort while breathing, eye irritation, and minor skin problems.”, , Copyright © AFP 2017-2020.  All rights reserved.  Users can access and consult this website and use the share features available for personal, private, and non-commercial purposes.  Any other use, in particular any reproduction, communication to the public or distribution of the content of this website, in whole or in part, for any other purpose and/or by any other means, without a specific licence agreement signed with AFP, is strictly prohibited.  The subject matter depicted or included via links within the Fact Checking content is provided to the extent necessary for correct understanding of the verification of the information concerned.  AFP has not obtained any rights from the authors or copyright owners of this third party content and shall incur no liability in this regard.  AFP and its logo are registered trademarks.
World Health Organization refutes misleading claim that volcanic ash can kill coronavirus | AFP Fact Check