Assoc. Prof. Soysal warns against ‘gloves’

Assoc. Prof. Dilek Soysal, Lecturer at Faculty of Medicine, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), has warned the citizens against the use of plastic gloves all day long in order to protect from the global Covid-19 pandemic. Assoc. Prof. Soysal said, “Wearing the same pair of gloves all day long and not washing hands believing the gloves would protect is an open invitation to the disease. Virus survives on plastic surfaces. You need to change the gloves frequently and do it properly. Do not neglect to wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.”

Assoc. Prof. Soysal pointed that Ministry of Health’s precautions against the virus should be taken into consideration, and she advised about how to eat healthy during this period.  

“SHEEP'S HEAD AND TROTTERS SOUP DOES NOT PREVENT SPREAD OF THE VIRUS”

Assoc. Prof. Soysal said, “Healthy eating is very important in struggle against this disease. There's so much inaccurate information floating around out on social media. Instead of believing everything we hear, we need to listen to the authorities. There are many recommendations about eating to prevent the virus. For example, I frequently get questions such as ‘Does having sheep’s head and trotters soup (kelle paça) everyday protect me from the virus?’ or ‘Should we use vinegar in all our dishes?’. Of course, sheep’s head and trotters soup is very nutritious and I am not advising against it, however, the fact that it reduces the risk of spreading the virus is not scientifically backed up. Additionally, you do not need to use vinegar in all dishes.”

“THE BODY HAS ITS CAPACITY”

Assoc. Prof. Soysal continued as: “Cleaning and cooking time of food is also very important. You need to cook meat and vegetables well. Do not eat vegetables raw. Wash the fruits thoroughly and peel them before eating. You should avoid eating greasy foods during this time spent at home. Fruits are very rich in vitamins. However, the human body has its capacity. A healthy person should consume 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Eating 3-4 seasonal fruits (such as oranges, apples, bananas) a day and maintaining this habit not during this time but always is very important. People who have diabetes or coronary diseases particularly should be more careful about this. Doing simple exercises at home or in the garden during this period spent at home and sleeping for 7-8 hours is also very important.”

“WEAR GLOVES BUT CHANGE THEM FREQUENTLY”

Reminding that citizens started to wear gloves in addition to masks recently when they were out in public, Assoc. Prof. Soysal said, “Gloves can be used as a protective and hygienic measure. However, there are certain rules to follow. There are people who wear the same pair of gloves all day long (taking them off and putting the same pair back on again). This poses a great health risk. It could do more harm. We should remember that the virus survives on plastic surfaces up to 5 days and on latex surfaces up to 8 hours. We can understand how wrong it is to wear the same pair of gloves when we think that we touch many places with our hands. We must change the gloves frequently. Stopping washing hands because we wear gloves is a big mistake.”

“VINEGAR’S BENEFIT ON THE VIRUS HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN”

Assoc. Prof. Soysal stated the following: “According to a study by John Hopkins University, the virus is capable of surviving on outer environment based on the material, temperature, and moisture. We can protect ourselves by limiting our contact with these materials in outer environment and by washing our hands frequently with soap and water. We have been informed that the virus’ DNA is surrounded by a thin lipid bilayer, and soap breaks this lipid bilayer, therefore we must wash our hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. However, vinegar’s benefit in this manner has not been scientifically proven yet.”