(CMR) A prominent Austrian anti-vaccination advocate who reportedly attempted to treat his COVID-19 infection with a substance found in some bleach products has died after suffering from complications from the virus.
Newsweek reported that Johann Biacsics, one of the leaders of the anti-vaccination movement in the country, contracted COVID-19 in October and said he began treating himself with a product containing chlorine dioxide.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers not to use chlorine dioxide products sold online as medical treatments because there was no credible scientific evidence supporting their safety or effectiveness. These products also pose a significant risk to the health of people who consume them, the FDA said.
A post on Biacsics' website claimed that taking the chlorine dioxide (CDL) product successfully treated his infection.
“I took CDL and also made high-dose CDL enemas,” the post said. “As it turned out later, I successfully fought COVID 19 with it. The self-tests I had done were all negative.”
But his condition worsened significantly, and he was admitted to the hospital in early November after experiencing low oxygen levels and difficulty breathing. A PCR test conducted for COVID-19 was positive, Newsweek reported.
Biacsics reportedly refused the doctors' treatment plan, convinced that he had beaten the acute infection. Eventually, he decided to leave the hospital, calling his son, who picked him up and took him home.
According to Newsweek, he ordered everything he needed to administer chlorine dioxide infusions to himself. But just two days later, he passed away. It is not clear whether Biacsics' consumption of CDL contributed to his death.
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