In a new video posted on YouTube, Professor Didier Raoult establishes a link between smoking shisha and the transmission of Covid-19 among young people. It was during a “small investigation” that the Marseille professor observed this probability.
“I did not realize the extent of the consumption of shisha in our European countries and in the United States. I believe that in France, at least half of young people have already smoked at least once the shisha “, he says in the video published on the account of the IHU Méditerranée-Infection.
Link between the explosion of cases among young people?
The scientist then draws the parallel between the resumption of the epidemic this summer among young people and shisha. “What we see is that the start of the epidemic in July was more particularly among young people, whereas before and after it was among older subjects.” And to continue: “We see that it is this age group, the 25-45 years in which there is an explosion in the number of cases, therefore a particular risk factor at that age.”
“If we do this thing in which there is saliva, including if we change the mouthpiece, it is an extraordinary experimental model for transmitting a respiratory disease”, thus justifies the professor. “We must not share the shisha”, insists Didier Raoult, who criticizes “public health people” for not having sufficiently alerted “to the risk of this mode of transmission”.
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“The risk of contamination between smokers higher”
According to an opinion of the High Council of Public Health published on December 17, there “are no scientific studies having specifically shown that the smoke and aerosol of cigarettes / cigars / pipes / shisha increase the risk of SARS transmission. -CoV-2 between two smokers or a smoker and a non-smoker. On the other hand, by the practice of smoking (physical regrouping, removal of the mask, sharing of objects and cigarettes), the risk of contamination between smokers may be greater. high than between non-smokers “.
However, Didier Raoult remains cautious on this point: “We do not know whether inhaling smoke is a factor of contamination of Covid-19.” This is why the professor wishes to conduct additional research.
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