Tanzania and Comoros to import Madagascar’s COVID-19 ‘herbal cure’

Tanzania and Comoros are the latest countries that are to import the purported COVID-19 herbal cure announced by Madagascar. According to reports, the leaders of both countries confirmed their interest over the weekend.

Comorian president, Azali Assoumani, in a teleconference with his Malagasy counterpart, Andry Rajoelina, made a formal request for the product that has been described largely as effective.

“Assoumani wishes to benefit from CovidOrganics for Comoros,” Rajoelina wrote in a Twitter post. “We will supply them as a sign of solidarity with our brothers in the Indian Ocean,” he added.

Despite several warnings from the World Health Organisation against CovidOrganics, which hasn’t been proven to be scientifically safe, Rajoelina told ministers, diplomats, and the media that “tests have been carried out – two people have now been cured by the treatment”.

Meanwhile, Tanzania’s John Pombe Magufuli in a speech on Sunday said that his county will also make requests of the herbal cure to aid the fight against the pandemic.

“I have been in talks with Madagascar. They say they have discovered the medicine for COVID-19. We will send a plan to bring the medicine to Tanzania so that Tanzanians can benefit from it,” he said.

Equatorial Guinea was the first African country to take stock of CovidOrganics. According to reports, a delegation from Guinea-Bissau has already taken a consignment of the products.

Late last month, the president of Madagascar, Rajoelina officially launched the herbal remedy he claimed could “prevent coronavirus in seven days.”

The substance, called COVID-Organics, was developed by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (IMRA). It contains Artemisia, a plant used to treat malaria.

During the launch, Rajoelina said he is sure of its effectiveness, adding that the drink would be given to schoolchildren.

Madagascar has so far recorded 149 cases of coronavirus with no deaths.

As people hold talks about taking a chance with traditional medicine that is not proven, the government of Zimbabwe is already allowing herbalists to treat patients with the deadly virus.

“Traditional medicine practice is older … than science and it is accepted by the majority of Zimbabweans,” said Tribert Chishanyu, president of Zimbabwe Traditional Practitioners Association.

“If modern scientists are given opportunities to try whenever there is an emergency disease (outbreak), why can’t we do the same to traditional medicine practice? We are treating symptoms related to COVID-19, so by (some) chance we may be able to treat COVID-19.”