By Mark N. Mengonfia, mmenginfia@gmail.com
The Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), Dr. Mosoka Fallah has expressed satisfaction over the arrival of a herbal medicine the Madagascar President claims can cure Coronavirus, saying “this is good news for West Africa and Liberia.”
Dr. Fallah gave thumbs up to the Madagascar herb in a phone conversation with the local private run Truth FM Radio near Monrovia on Tuesday, April 5, 2020.
The government of Liberia has received a consignment of herbs from Madagascar, intended fight against the coronavirus or COVID-19.
The few boxes of herbal drug arrived in Liberia on Monday, May 4, 2020 and was received by Liberian President, George M. Weah at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) in Margibi County, outside Monrovia and was received by President George Weah himself.
According to the Executive Mansion, it is a trial consignment intended to be used on those who are currently tested positive of COVID-19 in the Liberian Republic.
But The World Health Organization (WHO) recently said this herb was not a cure for the deadly Coronavirus. There is so far no evidence that this is a cure for the killer virus and it is unscientific.
In a press release on May 4, 2020, President Weah said Africa possesses huge human and natural resources capable to standing up to and defeating crises of all proportions.
Liberia’s chief of Public Health, Dr. Fallah has said that the drug or herb that was used by Madagascar has a long history and it has also used for malaria drugs years ago.
“This same drugs was called fever leaf because it was used to treat fever,” Dr. Fallah said.
He said the drug is not a strange drug, it has been used before adding ” this is why I want us give it a trial.”
The NPHIL boss also said Liberia is not running into it blindly, there are cases that were treated from the drugs in Madagascar.
When he was asked if the herbs will be tested by the Ministry of Health before it can be taken by Liberians, Dr. Fallah said the drug is a in a more refined form, stressing that it is not a new drug. But he said they are going to allow volunteers to have it tested in Liberia.
According to the NPHIL Director General, there are over 50 years of methods used to combine both Western and African medicines to treat sicknesses in the world.
“When I have grown up in Liberia we all drank “kojologbo,” which was not modern medicine,” Dr. Fallah said
Kojologbo is a traditional medicine used by Liberians to treat malaria and other sicknesses and it is given in certain quantity.
Dr. Fallah went on to say that Liberians cannot forsake traditional dedication.
Currently, Liberia has 166 confirmed cases, 58 recoveries and 18 deaths, this according to the Liberian health authorities.