A private medical practitioner has proposed the use of steam inhalation as a treatment for coronavirus cases in the country.

In a statement issued in the Eastern Region a copy of which was made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Dr Henry Berchie argued that human coronavirus which is known at the laboratory and has similar characteristics like COVID-19 is destroyed at a temperature of 56-degree Celsius, hence steam inhalation could also help to kill or deactivate coronavirus.

He said locally, steam inhalation widely used in the treatment of severe cold, sneezing and cough, therefore, its adaptation could help reduce cough, sneezing and cold in infected victims of coronavirus and help reduce the spread of the virus.

Dr Berchie said steam inhalation was less expensive when compared to other recommended treatment for the coronavirus cases.

Dr Berchie said all that was required was for one to boil hot water, poured the hot water into a bucket, seat beside the bucket with a blanket or thick towel covering the fellow and the bucket of hot water for six to seven minutes to create the environment for the fellow to inhale the steam from the hot water.

He said already there were reported cases from Germany and other countries indicating that people were inhaling steam from boiled Neem tree leaves and in some cases boiled water with ginger or pineapple peels.

Dr Berchie, however, did not recommend the use of steam inhalation for the treatment of children infected with the COVID-19 to help avoid burns through accidents.

He said there are a lot of reading materials that supported the effectiveness of steam inhalation in the treatment of many diseases including human virus.