Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on Wednesday, disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government was open to the possibility of using local herbs to fight COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Ehanire stated this Tuesday when the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefed members of the House of Representatives.
The minister, however, said that such herb must be certified by the Nigeria Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NIPRD.
According to him, any herbalist who claims to have found cure should approach the NIPRD for certification before putting same to trial.
“Before now, it was said that Chloroquine can destroy the virus but tests are 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 if 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,” Mr Ehanire said.
He, therefore, warned that doing so may result in another round of national health emergency.
