A new Irish website aims to address the many health myths surrounding COVID-19.

The website, iHealthFacts.ie, aims to help the public to quickly and easily check the reliability of health claims circulating on social media.

The site is run by the Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland based in NUI Galway.

Members of the public can submit health claims that they are curious about to the website, where a team of researchers in NUI Galway can assess them by searching for evidence to support or refute the claim.

The team's prepared responses are also reviewed by a team of evidence advisors from University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick, University College Cork and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, as well as a panel of public and patient advisors.

After checking the claim, the website produces a short, easy-to-read response, which will allow the public to make an informed decision about their own health.

The site will be updated regularly in response to submitted claims, which will be prioritised. It is hoped that the information provided will help people to think critically about claims that are being made. However, the site is for information purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

According to Elaine Finucane, iHealthFacts.ie lead and research associate in the HRB-TMRN, unreliable claims "can lead to poorly informed choices".

"Unreliable claims can also lead to unnecessary waste and human suffering. iHealthFacts.ie offers a platform to help tease out the reliability of health claims. We hope it also helps the public think critically about such claims," she commented.

Dr Tom Conway, iHealthFacts.ie co-lead and research associate in the HRB - TMRN and HRB Clinical Research Facility Galway, emphasised that "now more than ever, people need access to open, trustworthy, information".

"iHealthFacts offers the public a simple way to take control and fact check health claims," he said.

The researchers have already addressed a number of claims, which can be viewed on the website, including does the use of petrol pumps spread COVID-19 rapidly and does taking ibuprofen worsen the symptoms of the virus?

"iHealthFacts.ie is easy to use and we welcome the public's help in submitting health claims to be prioritised for review," added Dr Sandra Galvin, HRB-TMRN programme manager at NUI Galway.

The site can be viewed here.