The world of Tzu Chi March 2020(Vol.120)

2020 • 03 16 eature A ssoc. Prof. Dr. Chee Hui Yee belongs to a rare breed of researchers in Malaysia – she specializes in virology, focusing her research on virus-host interactions and zoonotic diseases, or infectious diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans. Since the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak, she has been making frequent appearances in the media, fielding pressing questions on the virus through television and radio interviews as well as articles in several print publications. Among the most common queries she has received include: Is the disease incurable? Is a vaccine available? How do we defend ourselves against the virus? Sometimes, she finds herself countering myths that have been widely circulated among the public. “I’ve been asked if it is possible to contract the virus by sharing a steamboat meal. I was perplexed as to how a steamboat meal is linked to aerosol particles in the air, but the rumour spread like wildfire as if it’s indeed a fact, when it’s merely an unfounded claim,” she clarified, referring to the possibility of Covid-19 transmission through airborne virus – released into the air through coughing and sneezing – suspended in the atmosphere as aerosol particles. Although one risks infection When misinformation spreads, the consequences are far- reaching, stirring ripples of unwarranted fear and anxiety. The malady of misinformation by inhaling aerosol containing the virus, aerosol particles formed from the steam escaping from boiling steamboat broth, sauna rooms or ironing equipment are unlikely to catalyse the spread of the virus. Emerging sentiments of excessive fear have also given rise to allegations of the possibility of catching the virus upon brushing past an infected person. Dr. Chee cautioned that even research reports published in scientific journals are sometimes susceptible to errors and urged the public to refrain from circulating dubious information, citing the instance of a research paper by a group of Indian scientists who claimed to have discovered similarities between the spike proteins of the Covid-19 virus and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), suggesting that the novel coronavirus might have been deliberately engineered. The paper, which had not undergone the peer- review process, was criticized by the scientific community as misleading and was soon withdrawn, but not without setting in motion conspiracy theories that have been making their rounds on social media. “The spread of rumours is even more vicious than the spread of the virus, as it leads Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chee Hui Yee Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM); PhD inVirology