The Ministry of AYUSH on Wednesday issued a medical advisory based on traditional Indian medicine practices such as Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani to prevent the spread of Wuhan coronavirus, which has killed at least 132 people till now.

“At the instance of Ministry of AYUSH, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy discussed the ways and means of prevention of coronavirus infection through homoeopathy in 64th meeting of its Scientific Advisory Board on 28th January 2020,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry advised people to take homoeopathic medicine “Arsenicum album 30” for three days in empty stomach three days “as a prophylactic medicine against the infection”. The dose should be repeated after a month if the infection prevails, the advisory said. The government also suggested a few Ayurvedic medicines, Unani decoctions and home remedies.

The advisory also suggested general hygienic measures such as maintaining personal hygiene, washing hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, and avoiding close contact with people who are sick. The government advised people to “preferably, use an N95 mask while traveling or working in public places to avoid droplet transmission”. “If you suspect corona viral infection, wear a mask and contact your nearest hospital immediately,” it added.

The World Health Organization has said at present there is no “effective antiviral therapy” for the Wuhan coronavirus, which is similar to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus that killed almost 800 people between 2002 and 2003.

The advisory was criticised on social media, with many accusing the government of promoting quackery.

Here are some of the tweets criticising the government: