The message on social media, which has gone viral, warned people not to take the white P/500 (Aeknil) tablet, which allegedly contains the virus, which could cause death.

But Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah pointed out that the medicine described in the message was different from the registered Aeknil tablets available in the market.

The medicine shown in the message is not registered with the ministry, he said.

The Star reported that the Aeknil tablet approved by the ministry contains 500g of paracetamol as an active ingredient, has registration number MAL19911249XZ and is “for the relief of mild-to-moderate pain and to reduce fever”.

Noor Hisham was quoted as saying that the registered tablet is blue, 1.27cm round and has the word “aeknil” or “therapeutic” on it.

“We advise people not to believe any news or message that has not been verified and to ensure products they use are registered, have a hologram sticker and are labelled with the registration MAL number,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Dr Noor Hisham said Machupo was categorised as one of the viruses in the Arenavirus group which can cause haemorrhagic fever and is currently found only in South America.

To check if a certain product is registered, go to National Pharmaceutical Regulatory or contact the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency at 03-78835400.