Fake Claim About P-500 Tablets Containing Machupo Virus Goes Viral

Several countries have dismissed this claim and called it a "hoax" and untrue.

Fact-Check: PIB dismissed this claim and called it "fake."

(Source: The Quint) 

A post stating that the Paracetamol-500 tablets contain the Machupo virus is going viral on social media.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: Facebook) 

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: Facebook) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• Several medical associations of the world have dismissed this claim and called it "fake."

What we found: We ran a relevant keyword search using the words in the viral post and found old posts about the same claim from 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021 on Facebook.

• We, then, ran a Google reverse image search on the viral post and found an article by the Health  Sciences Authority (HSA) of Singapore from 2017 which called this claim a "hoax." The article noted thattransmission of “Machupo” virus through paracetamol tablets is a hoax and the content is untrue.

• In 2017, the Health Ministry of Malaysia also dismissed the rumours around the alleged virus in the medicine and noted not trust hoax messages and unverified reports, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

• In 2020, Thailand's The Nation reported that the Digital Economy and Society Ministry also dismissed the rumours and urged the people not to believe in such "hoax" messages. The report also noted that the P-500 had never been imported or registered as a drug in Thailand

• Similarly, we ran a keyword search and came across a post by India's Press Information Bureau's (PIB) Fact-Check Unit from 25 May.

• It also dismissed the viral claim and called it "fake."

What is Machupo virus?: The “Machupo," also known as the Bolivian hemorrhagic fever (BHF) virus, leads to symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, bleeding gums, and convulsions. The infection from the "Machupo" virus occurs through direct exposure to the virus, which is primarily spread via the saliva, feces, and urine of contaminated rodents.

Conclusion: The viral claim about the Machupo virus in P-500 tablets is a hoax and not true.

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