What do doctors say about the rumor of using onions to suck out flu viruses?

Information is spreading online that you can repel the flu virus by growing onions in water and placing them around the house.

On February 7, on social networks, many people shared about how to repel the flu virus with onions. Accordingly, the NXD account said that the flu virus can be repelled by planting onions in water and placing them scattered around the house.

The person quoted the story: 'In 1919, the most severe flu pandemic in human history, it is estimated that 50-100 million people died. The flu pandemic is ranked by the medical community on par with the bubonic plague that killed nearly 2/3 of the European population in the 14th century. For the medical community at that time, the flu pandemic was an uncontrollable nightmare.

However, when visiting and surveying a village, the doctor saw a farming family still living healthily while many people around them had contracted and died of the flu.

When asked about the secret to preventing the flu, the farmer pointed to an onion on the table. Every room had one. Unable to believe it, the doctor asked for the onion and examined it under a microscope. Surprisingly, the inside of the onion was covered with super germs.

The above article attracted thousands of interactions and retold the story in hopes of protecting the family from the flu.

Social media post about the benefits of onions. Photo: Screenshot.

Speaking with VietNamNet reporter, Associate Professor Do Van Dung - Head of the Faculty of Public Health, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy affirmed that the above method is not accurate and has no scientific evidence.

Dr. Dung said that many people had previously shared about this method, but medical documents had not recorded it. Therefore, growing onions indoors to suck out the flu has absolutely no effect on humans.

'Even using soapberry and essential oils in the house to repel the flu virus is ineffective,' said this expert.

According to Associate Professor Dung, the flu epidemic is basically not worth worrying about. Currently, the increase in flu cases in the US or UK is random because it is winter. Countries in Southeast Asia have not increased much. Up to this point, Japan has the highest infection rate, with more than 300,000 flu cases recorded in the last week of 2024 alone, but the epidemiological context is also different from Southeast Asian countries.

When a flu epidemic occurs, the most worrying thing is the appearance of a new strain, but through monitoring, scientists have not seen any unusual signs.

The rate of severe complications and death from influenza is very low in healthy, young people, so this group of people with influenza only need to rest, drink plenty of water, and have adequate nutrition to recover, without needing to take antiviral drugs because it can cause drug resistance, side effects, and create drug shortages on the market. In fact, antiviral drugs are only beneficial for people at risk and showing signs of severe influenza infection.

People with underlying medical conditions and the elderly are at greater risk of getting the flu. This group of people is advised to go to the hospital immediately if they have respiratory symptoms. If antiviral drugs are used, patients reduce the risk of death by 80%.

Flu patients should not use antibiotics on their own, especially Corticoids, because there is much evidence showing unpredictable harmful effects.

Dr. Dung recommends that people should wash their hands frequently and avoid contact with people with respiratory illnesses. People with coughs and runny noses should stay home from work or school and not go out.

David Pac

Update 10 February 2025

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