It will recommend traditional medicine products if proven safe

"World Health" approves tests on herbal medicines to treat "Covid-19"

People wearing protective masks in a market in the Philippines.

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The World Health Organization has approved a protocol that regulates testing of African herbal medicines as potential treatments for the emerging corona virus that causes "Covid-19" and other epidemic diseases, and confirmed that if the safety, efficacy and quality of a traditional medicine product is shown, it will recommend it in order to quickly manufacture it locally. And on a large scale.

The spread of "Covid-19" has raised the issue of the use of traditional medicines in treating contemporary diseases, and the approval of the World Health Organization clearly encourages tests with standards similar to those used in laboratories.

Months ago, the President of Madagascar, Andre Rajoelina, was scorned after his attempt to promote the "Covid-Organics" drink, which is extracted from the wormwood plant (Artemisia), to treat the Corona virus, despite the proven effectiveness of the plant in treating malaria.

Experts from the World Health Organization and colleagues from two other African organizations approved “a protocol for conducting third-phase clinical trials of herbal medicines for treating (Covid-19), in addition to a charter and powers to establish a safety oversight board and data collection” for clinical trials on herbal medicines, according to a statement. For the organization.

The statement indicated that the third phase of clinical tests is subjecting a group of up to 3,000 people to testing, and aims to fully assess the safety and efficacy of new medical products.

"If the safety, efficacy and quality of a traditional medicine product is found to be safe, the World Health Organization will recommend it in order to quickly and widely manufacture it locally," the statement quoted the WHO Regional Director, Prosper Tomosemi.

The organization approved the protocol in partnership with the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the African Union Commission for Social Affairs.

“The emergence of (Covid-19), such as the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa, has highlighted the need for strong health systems, and has accelerated research and development programs, including traditional medicine,” Tomosemi added.

The WHO official did not mention the Madagascar chief drink, which was widely distributed in Madagascar, and was sold to many other countries, especially in Africa.

And last May, the Director of the World Health Organization in Africa, Machidiso Moeti, told the media that African governments had committed in 2000 to subjecting traditional treatments to the same clinical trials as other drugs.

He added, "I can understand the need and motives to search for something that can help," adding, "But we very much want to encourage scientific tests that governments themselves have committed to."

In addition, an AFP census showed that the emerging corona virus, until yesterday, had killed at least 957,948 people in the world since the WHO office in China reported the outbreak of the disease at the end of December.

More than 30 million and 849 thousand and 800 cases of the virus have been officially recorded since the beginning of its outbreak, of whom more than 20 million have recovered, and these numbers only reflect part of the actual number of infections, as several countries do not conduct tests except for the most serious cases, while other countries give priority in Conducting examinations to trace contacts of the infected, in addition to the limited testing capabilities of a number of poor countries.

The United States is the country most affected in terms of the number of deaths and injuries, with 199,268 deaths out of six million and 766,631 injuries, according to the Johns Hopkins University census.

At least two million 577,446 people have recovered from the virus.

New Jersey is preparing to raise taxes on the wealthy, which could encourage other Democratic states to do the same.

And the Democratic Governor of the state, Phil Murphy, announced that an agreement had been reached on increasing taxes on millionaires who make up about 9% of families in this state.

During the 2021 fiscal year beginning on October 1, the tax rate on every income over one million dollars will increase from 8.97% to 10.75%.

Revenues estimated at 390 million dollars will allow the payment of 500 dollars to families whose incomes do not exceed 150 thousand dollars annually (with a child).

3,000 people are taking part in the third phase of testing of new medicinal products.

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A thousand deaths from the "virus" worldwide, and infections amounted to 30 million and 849 thousand.

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