The Vanguard Newspapers disclosed that Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on Tuesday informed the House of Representatives the President Buhari-led government was willing to adopt the use of herbs in the country’s fight against the dreaded coronavirus pandemic, although the Nigeria Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development must certify any such medical solution.
Dr. Osagie Ehanire, made this disclosure as the Presidential Task Force on corona virus briefed members of the House of Representatives. He also stated it was improper for hospitals to attending to patients because of a fear they may be infected with the virus.
Treating Corona Virus with Herbs
Dr. Osagie Ehanire stated that the government had not outrightly rejected the chance of adopting the use of herbs for the treatment of corona virus. He said that what the government was concerned with subjecting any acclaimed corona virus solutions to professional testing carried the Nigeria Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development.
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He explained herbs could be simply classified into the ones that could cure the virus and those possessing the capacity of reducing the corona virus symptoms. He further said that such herbs must be able to build the required antibodies to neutralise corona virus.
Dr. Ehanire hinted it was not yet confirmed that chloroquine could kill the dreaded corona virus because laboratory tests were still being conducted.
The German-trained doctor explained that there has to be the conduct of laboratory tests to confirm the capacity of herbs to kill the virus and also to verify if in the course of killing the virus, the drugs would produce any noticeable unpleasant effect on the human body.
He stated the Nigeria Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development would run the necessary laboratory tests on such discovered herbs.
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The former University of Benin surgeon also said many people already infected with corona virus might not necessarily exhibit noticeable symptoms, thus increasing the chances of ignorantly spreading the deadly virus. According to the respected doctor, this is the main reason many have been advised to be on self-isolation or simply stay at home.
He explained that asymptomatic carriers of the corona virus were at risk of transferring the virus to other people especially aged persons or sick persons having a low immunity, thus posing a greater danger of the current situation.
The Covid-19 Situation in Kano
The experienced surgeon described the situation in Kano as appalling and said the government was a part of some researches aimed at discovering a solution to health crisis.
The minister of health, however, dismissed unfounded claims that the deaths in Kano were the result of corona virus infection. He added that the Presidential Task Force on corona virus was still expecting the result of tests carried out in Kano and was not certain what the cause of the deaths were.
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He debunked a false claim that the Presidential Task Force team leader in Kano had made a publication about the cause of the investigated deaths. He said the government was still investigating and would release a publication at the right time.
Controlling Covid-19 Spread
Dr. Ehanire also dismissed public opinions that relaxing the restriction of movement might lead to a spike in the number of corona virus cases. He emphasized that the only safe means to bring down the infection rate was for residents
to strictly adhere to medical recommendations.
The doctor remarked that the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 was already negotiating with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and some other state governments on the chance of locally manufacturing protective gears. He added that because of a spike in demand around the world, protective equipment were currently experiencing scarcity in the international market.
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The Minister chided that incidence of Nigerians scampering away from isolation centres and others refusing to report themselves for isolation.
