Traditional healers cautioned over Covid-19
TRADITIONAL healers who claim to have a cure and treatment for COVID 19 should avail their herbal medicine for clinical trial before administering them on the public, Traditional Health Practitioners Association of Zambia (THAPAZ) has advised.
President Edgar Lungu has encouraged the use of homebased care solutions including steaming among other proven remedies for COVID-19 prevention and treatment.
Recently, Ndola based herbalist and researcher,
Howard Maila claimed to have found a cure for covid-19.
Mr Maila has since asked Government to allow him carryout clinical trials on his herbal medicine, Mailacin on 50 patients to prove its effectiveness.
But THAPAZ President Rodwell Vongo guided members against claiming that they had cure for COVID 19 without availing their formulas for clinical trials as this has potential to endanger the lives of the public.
Dr Vongo said that a number of THAPAZ members had showed interest in researching and finding a permanent cure for the virus.
He said while traditional herbal medicines had been used to treat coughs and other illnesses from time immemorial, the corona virus has taken traditional Healers by surprise.
He was however glad that many healers in the country had come up with the initiative to find a cure.
“A number of our members have come up with herbal they believe can cure COVID 19 but what we are advising them is that before they administer the medicine on the people, they should prove their formulas are safe,” he said.