Officials Dismiss Rumors of Deadly Virus in Paracetamol Tablets as Fake News

 Hyderabad: An image circulating on social media warning people of a deadly virus 'Machupo' in paracetemol tablets has been termed as fake news by TS Drug Control Administration (DCA) Director-General V. B. Kamalasan Reddy. "There is a spread on social media that there is a virus in P-500 tablets, do not believe this misinformation. Strict action will be taken if anyone shares this information," he said on Tuesday.

The image that that has been dubbed as fake advises people against consuming "shiny, white tablets with P-500" written on the label. It first went viral on social media last year. Being circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp groups, it warns people of this "most dangerous virus with high mortality rate".

The Machupo mammarenaviru causes the Bolivian haemorrhagic fever (BHF), also known as black typhus, which originated in Bolivia.