Officials deny report on man having been hospitalized after consuming soap 'to combat coronavirus'

Duvar English

A news report that appeared in Turkish media outlets on March 12 has been debunked by Teyit, an independent fact-checking organization based in the country.

Various Turkish media outlets reported on March 12 that a Turkish man was hospitalized after consuming a liquid soap called “Arap sabunu” in an attempt to “not contract the coronavirus.” The incident occurred in Turkey's Central Anatolian province of Yozgat and the man identified as Mehmet E. was treated at the Yozgat City Hospital, several media outlets said.

After the news went viral, Teyit contacted the Yozgat City Hospital, whose officials said that no such patient had ever visited the hospital and the allegations did not reflect the truth.

The news report had also claimed that the patient was treated by an emergency doctor with initials E.K., but there is no such doctor employed at the hospital, Teyit said.

Teyit also spoke with Yozgat provincial health directorate, whose officials similarly said that no patient as described in the news report had ever been taken to the hospital.

According to the debunked new piece, the 43-year-old man identified as Mehmet E. was poisoned after mixing yogurt and soap together and eating the mixture. He was allegedly then taken to the Yozgat City Hospital, where his stomach was washed out.

The report quoted the man as saying: “I was looking for ways to protect myself against this virus and I thought of eating 'Arap sabunu' together with yogurt because I thought that the soap would clean me out, whereas yogurt would strengthen my immune system. I have poured a lot of soap in the yogurt and ate it.”