BY DAYO ADESULU
Dr Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Health has revealed when Nigerians can start using herbs to cure coronavirus and other kinds of diseases.
He said on Tuesday that the government has not ruled out the possibility of using local herbs to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Minister, however, posited that the Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development must first certify their efficacy.
Dr Ehanirer stated this when members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID 19 briefed members of the House of Representatives.
Dr Osagie Ehanire explained that the government was not ruling out the possibility of using local herbs for the treatment of COVID 19.
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He added that what the government was saying is that those who claim to have found cure should subject it to test by the Nigeria Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development.
According to him, local herbs can be categorised into drugs that can cure the virus or those that can reduce the symptoms, adding that the body must be able to build the required antibodies to neutralise the virus.
“Before now, it was said that Chloroquine can destroy the virus. But the test is still going on in that regard.
”We have to test the efficacy of local drugs to see if it can kill the virus and also to find out that is 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,” he said.
He equally frowned at some hospitals who turned patients back as a result of fear of COVID-19.