VIJAYAWADA: Believing in social media posts that juice made of Datura seeds will protect them from contracting COVID-19, a family of four, including a three-year-old girl child, consumed the juice only to land in a hospital in Pallamalli village in Cheemakurthy Mandal on Saturday.
The four-member family fell ill after they consumed the juice made of toxic seeds of Datura (Ummetta plant in local parlance) and their condition is stable now.
According to information, Kantlam Suseela alias Suseelamma (52), a Class IV employee who reportedly watched a video on TikTok which suggested that datura seeds could act as a deterrent to the virus, especially for the elderly and children, allegedly encouraged her son K Tirupathi, his wife K Santhamma and their three-year-old daughter to follow the tip. She collected the seeds, crushed them and prepared juice.
All the family members consumed the juice before breakfast on Saturday. Immediately they developed vomiting and giddiness. Their neighbours took them to an RMP and from there to a private nursing home in Chimakurthy.
"All of them showed signs of giddiness and vomiting. We were informed that they had consumed datura seeds after watching a video on TikTok. The seeds are toxic and will have an undesirable impact on the nervous and metabolic systems. Now, their health condition is stable," said medical officer Dr Venkateswara Rao, who treated the victims.
The medical officer said the woman was carried away by the false information that datura seeds would miraculously improve immunity among the elderly and children against COVID-19.
He advised the villagers not to believe in all the social media posts promoting unscientific ways of either curing or acting as a protective shield from the virus.