Uganda is considering natural clinical treatment trials with Covid-19 as the search for an effective treatment for the pandemic continues.
In an interview with the Daily Monitor on Wednesday, Dr. Monica Musenero, senior presidential adviser on the epidemic, said the treatment, which has not yet been launched, is done with natural products in contrast to previous treatments involving manufactured drugs.
“We only bring the ingredients to the plant to mix the proportions we have. Natural, it’s like you got it from a plant. Let’s start with 20 people, then increase the number to 200,” said Dr. Musenero.
He added: “Now that we have more sick people, we need treatment. People have searched for drugs in different ways, we have had hydroxychloroquine, we have also researched what we have and we have the history of natural chemotherapy (drugs made mainly from plants).
Dr Musenero said they are still correcting some of the gaps and analyzing how far they have gone to address concerns to see if clinical trials can begin next week.
This natural treatment should eliminate the virus. Clinical trials will be tested in an experimental environment at different stages to determine at what stage the treatment is beneficial, according to the government.
“If this benefits mild cases and can eliminate the virus early, we can choose to distribute it to people receiving home care. If it helps seriously ill people, that is what we are going to do. We know the products are safe, we know the dosages that work, now let’s see if it really makes a difference,” said Dr. Musenero.
Uganda is currently in the fourth phase of the pandemic with widespread community spread. Some of the districts that have recorded high cases of Covid-19 include Kampala, Waksio, Amuru, Gulu, Tororo and Moroto.
The Ugandan Medical Association (UMA) has welcomed the natural clinical treatment trials of covid-19, as modifying the body with natural remedies to fight the virus is a major boost.
Dr. Mukuzi Muhereza, Secretary General of the UMF, said that this natural treatment must be subjected to the most vigorous tests in order to see how it can be integrated into the main health system at a later date.
“We have a lot of technology, information, history using natural remedies and learning them and knowing how they work best would be a big step forward. When you go to China or India, it even becomes an industry in its own right,” Dr. Muhereza said yesterday.
Uganda has recorded more than 3,100 cases with more than 10,000 recoveries. Worldwide, more than 78 million people have been infected with coronavirus, while at least 55 million have recovered.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with regional partners, will launch genome monitoring of the new strain to determine its prevalence in the country.