Madagascar’s COVID19 ‘cure’ gains confidence from other countries on the continent
Madagascar is building a factory to mass-produce a drink that’s touted by authorities and some African leaders as a ‘cure’ for Covid-19 even though it hasn’t been clinically tested or approved by drug regulators.
Sold as Covid-Organics, the drink contains extracts of the artimisia annua plant, which is used to treat malaria. The factory will be operational within a month, according to President Andry Rajoelina. “Our researchers and scientists are doing the necessary to make our coronavirus remedy a drug that meets the standards,” he said on state TV.
The president of Tanzania, John Magufuli, has said he’s sending a plane to Madagascar to fetch the tonic, and Rajoelina said on Twitter that Equatorial Guinea’s vice minister for health had arrived in the country to procure an unknown quantity. Other countries that have shown interest are Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Comoros, Rajoelina said.
People in the continent seem to share similar optimistic sentiments on the ‘cure’ for COVID-19.
Madagascar cure for covid19 has a recovery rate of 72% and no one is talking about it how come
— (@dukedammy) May 1, 2020
Bill Gates is a worried man since the Madagascar Cure for coronavirus is already working. 97 patients out of 135 cases in Madagascar have recovered fully. Africa it’s the highest time we start believing in ourselves. Kenya we are ready to test the cure.#MadagascarCure pic.twitter.com/S0vf81fewg
— Peter Kariuki (@PeterKariukiKE) May 3, 2020
#MadagascarCure Western Countries will act like they are not aware that Madagascar has a cure simply because they’ve always deemed Africa as a poor and vulnerable continent.
MADAGASCAR thank you for representing Africa. ❤️♥️️ pic.twitter.com/WtHuASdaor— Xolani Ngcobo (@XolaniNgcobo167) May 2, 2020
In response to the launch of Covid-Organics, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said, in a statement sent to the BBC, that the global organisation did not recommend “self-medication with any medicines… as a prevention or cure for Covid-19”.
It reiterated earlier comments by WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that there were “no short-cuts” to finding effective mediation to fight coronarvirus.
International trials were under way to find an effective treatment, the WHO added.
It is a race to the vaccine for several countries with several factories being built in order to prepare for an approved drug by relevant bodies. This is to ensure that they are ready to manufacture the globe’s demand for a pandemic that brought it to a stand still.
