The Federal government has said it will not rule out the possibility of using local herbs to cure coronavirus.
Nigeria’s Health Minister
Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, made the statement amid pressure on countries across the world to consider local options for Covid-19 cure. The federal government said it is not ruling out the possibility of using local herbs to tackle the novel coronavirus as countries across the world divert attention to local alternatives.
Speaking at yesterday’s Presidential Task Force briefing on Covid-19, Osagie Ehanire gave the flashes of hope.
He, however, stated that should the federal government look the way of herbal cure, the Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development must first certify their efficacy.
Ehanire also said that tests are ongoing on the effectiveness of chloroquine to cure the Covid-19 infection. “Before now, it was said that Chloroquine can destroy the virus. But tests are still going on in that regard,” the health minister said. “We have to test the efficacy of local drugs to see if it can kill the virus and also to find out if, in the process of killing the virus, it can affect the body. “So, the Institute will carry out the required test on the local drugs to find out how it can work.”
On strange death in Kano State, the minister further disclosed that various researches are ongoing to unravel the mystery behind the death. The minister dismissed insinuations that the mysterious deaths in Kano were caused by the coronavirus, adding that the presidential task force is still waiting for the result of tests carried out in the state.
