The Stupid – It Hurts!

After someone mischievously suggested yesterday that Retreat Day Hospital in Cape Town was on lockdown due to a suspected Ebola case (it wasn’t), this “brilliant” idea is doing the rounds in Nigeria right now:

VERY URGENT PLS. INFORMATION IS GOING ROUND FROM TRUSTED SOURCES THAT EVERY ONE IS TO POUR SALT IN WARM WATER AND USE IT TO BATH BEFORE DAY BREAK THIS MORNING AS EBOLA VACCINE.

That’ll work. And it does raise the question as to why America is not sharing its salt and warm water reserves.

So what are these trusted sources?
Well, you have to look no further than the very next paragraph to er… not find out:

I don’t even know the origin but every call I’m receiving now points to that. Since salty water is not harmful to skin I think it’s just better we do it.

Have you tried sticking sweetcorn in your ears? I only ask because that’s not harmful to skin either and will have absolutely no effect on Ebola infection either?

UPDATE: WHO tweet

Interesting that they’re not taking the sweetcorn angle on this.

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