By our rporter| Nigeria’s health minister, Osagie Ehanire, on Tuesday said the federal government will consider “serious” stakeholders in traditional medicine in the treatment of the highly contagious coronavirus.
Speaking at a press conference by the presidential task force on COVID-19 in Lagos, Ehanire said those serious with the use of local herbs and concoctions would be considered.
The minister said, “We will look into every assertion. Some people say they have herbs and some others say they have concoctions. Only for those that are serious, the department of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine in the ministry of health will look into their claims and we will not throw away any suggestion.”
“The efficacy and efficiency of these medicines have to be proven first before it is recommended for people to take.”
According to him, different trials are taking place such as “the use of convalescent plasma, which is taken from people that had coronavirus that have been treated successfully”, and these trials are being reviewed and a confirmation will be passed as time goes on.
“The same goes for hydroxychloroquine. It had been found in some tests to work outside the body, that is ‘in vitro testing’, but the chloroquine that people can swallow needs to be tested to see if it works the same way with the one taken outside the body.”
Ehanire further explained that Nigeria, like other countries, is depending on the World Health Organisation (WHO) for recommendations on the use of proper medicines to treat the ravaging disease.
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