The Government Spokesperson of the Republic of Tanzania has responded to reports that the country has succeeded in procurement of Madagascar herbal plant suspected to be curing corona virus.
“Tanzania today received the support of coronavirus medicine from Madagascar,” government spokesman Hassan Abas said on Twitter.
Today Friday May8th,2020 TZ confirmed the procurements days after Madagascar said it would begin selling the herbal concoction – known as Covid-Organics – and that several African countries had already put in orders.
According to reports from Madagascar, a drink is derived from artemisia – a plant with proven efficacy in malaria treatment – and other indigenous herbs.
However, the World Health Organization has sent sincere warnings to the public against the consumption of the herbs saying that its efficacy is unproven.
“Isolated compounds extracted from artemisia are effective in malaria drugs, but the plant itself cannot treat malaria.” WHO noted.
WHO’s Africa head Matshidiso Moeti said specialists are worries thay people who drink the product might feel they’re immune to the virus thus resulting into many death.
Last month, Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina launched the remedy at a news conference, drinking from a sleekly-branded bottle filled with an amber liquid which he said had already cured two people.
Madagascar has since been giving away thousands of bottles of the product, developed by the state-run Malagasy Institute of Applied Research, to countries across Africa.
Earlier this week, the East African island nation told the Reuters news agency it would begin selling the drink, which domestically can be bought for around 40 US cents per bottle.
Besides Tanzania, other African states of; Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Guinea-Bissau have already received thousands of doses of Covid-Organics free of charge.
Guinea-Bissau has received more than 16,000 doses which it is distributing to the 14 other African nations.
Liberia’s Deputy Information Minister Eugene Farghon said this week there was no plan to test the remedy before distribution.
“It will be used by Liberians and will be used on Liberians,” he said, noting that the WHO had not tested other popular local remedies.
“Madagascar is an African country … Therefore we will proceed as an African nation and will continue to use our African herbs.”
It should be recalled that the African Union (AU) on Monday said it was trying to get Madagascar’s technical data on the remedy, and would pass that to the Africa CDC for evaluation.
“This review will be based on global technical and ethical norms to garner the necessary scientific evidence,” the AU said
