Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): As many as five professors from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Uttar Pradesh have conducted clinical trials on bacteriophages - a kind of virus that kills bacteria - present in the water from the Ganges as a possible cure to the coronavirus disease and have written a research paper on the same.
The clinical trials come days after eminent river engineer and former professor of civil engineering at IIT in the BHU Prof. U.K. Choudhary had written a letter to the central government as well as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) saying that the judicious use of river technology can help resolve the coronavirus crisis as well as the plight of Ganges.
The professor, however, is yet to receive a response to the letter.
"The entire world knows that Ganges water consists of bacteriophage virus...this discovery was made about 100 years ago. There is a therapy called phage therapy wherein bacteriophage is used to treat ailments, and now we know that this virus is not only anti-bacterial, but also anti-fungal, and anti-viral...In March 2020 a research paper was published at Nature Nanotechnology which states that influenza virus activities can be blocked by creating nanoparticles of phages. This research holds significance because coronavirus is a similar kind of virus," Vijaynath Mishra, a neurologist and former Medical Officer at Sir Sunderlal Hospital, BHU told ETV Bharat.
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Mishra, who is one of the five professors to have conducted clinical trials on Ganges water, also claimed that the recovery rate from coronavirus disease is much better in areas ashore Ganges compared to the national average.
"The recovery rate in the country stands at 49 percent, however, the cities close to the Ganges have reported a recovery rate of 59 - 60 percent...this This is a natural trial.. this shows that there is something in the Ganges water that is stopping coronavirus, " said Mishra.
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He further demanded, "We want the government to come forward and clinical trials to ascertain if coronavirus disease can be treated with the Ganges water."
However, Mishra's claims were countered by Professor BD Tripathi, river scientist and Chairman, Mahatma Madan Mohan Malviya Ganges Research Organisation, BHU, who said that some people are simply assuming that if bacteriophage can kill bacterias it can also destroy coronavirus.
"People are assuming that if bacteriophage can kill bacterias it can also kill viruses but as a scientist, I would say that no scientific study or research has been conducted on whether Ganges water can treat diseases originated from a virus," Professor Tripathi told ETV Bharat.
Earlier, the ICMR had reportedly turned down the Centre's "request" to conduct research on a theory that water from the Ganges, or water from the Ganges, could possibly cure Covid-19.
