A medical researcher on the Nigerian Institute of Medical Analysis, Yaba, Lagos, Dr Aina Oluwagbemiga, has mentioned that the institute was but to see any natural product that cures malaria within the nation.
Dr Aina, who’s a Deputy Director of Analysis, on the Centre for Analysis in Conventional, Complementary and Different Medication, Biochemistry and Diet Division at NIMR, mentioned the natural merchandise thus far seen can solely suppress the parasite however didn’t treatment it as chloroquine does.
The deputy director with over 25 years of expertise in malaria analysis, mentioned a lot of the natural preparations for the therapy of malaria within the nation with varied claims by their producers haven’t any proof of efficacy.
Dr. Aina disclosed this throughout an unique interview with PUNCH Healthwise.
He urged Nigerians to go for exams and make certain that they’ve malaria earlier than going for therapy.
Malaria is a illness brought on by a plasmodium parasite, transmitted by the chunk of contaminated feminine mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles, with various severity based mostly on the species of the plasmodium.
The signs are chills, fever, and sweating, often occurring just a few weeks after being bitten and therapy contains antimalarial medication.
The World Well being Organisation says malaria is a preventable and treatable illness that has, nonetheless, continued to have devastating impacts on the well being and livelihoods of individuals all over the world.
The researcher famous that NIMR had examined over 50 natural merchandise for the therapy of malaria within the final two years and none was capable of show the claims of their producers that they treatment malaria.
He defined, “NIMR is but to see any natural product that cures malaria, We’re but to see. We’ve not seen anybody for now. From my very own expertise, I’ve not seen any natural product that cures malaria.
“What they do is simply to decrease the physique temperature and the parasites will simply be suppressed however after a while, they are going to come again. I’ve not seen anybody that cures it like chloroquine does.
“We’re nonetheless searching for them. Though some individuals have been claiming that they treatment malaria, I’m but to see anybody and I’ve informed them to deliver their merchandise and let’s attempt them and see whether or not it will work.
“We consider that our natural merchandise do work in sure areas and we all know that we can not cease individuals from taking natural merchandise.”
Based on him, that was why the Director Basic of NIMR, Prof. Babatunde Salako, established the
Centre for Analysis in Conventional, Complementary and Different Medication within the institute to confirm these claims by subjecting them to medical analysis to determine their security and efficacy.
“He mentioned that we must always take a look at their claims and allow us to see if the natural merchandise are secure for consumption. That’s the reason we usually name them to deliver their merchandise, let’s do a security profile on you and allow us to make certain that it’s even secure for consumption.
“So after we have now carried out the check and it’s good for consumption, then you definately do an efficacy research, what you claimed that this your product does, does it do?
“That’s once we now go into an efficacy research. However as I mentioned for malaria, I’m but to see any natural product that cures malaria”, he mentioned.
Dr. Aina acknowledged that folks have to do a check to know whether or not they have malaria and never simply assume they’ve malaria, including that lots of diseases and illnesses mimic malaria signs.
He famous, “So that you can know that you’ve malaria, it’s important to, initially, do a check. Allow us to see the malaria parasite there. So after the check has been carried out, go forward and take your natural product.
“After a day or two, we do one other check to see whether or not the parasite has cleared or not. That’s easy methods to do an efficacy research and that’s what we do with this our orthodox drugs, Artemisinin-based Mixture Remedy to see whether or not it’s nonetheless efficient or not.
“As for natural merchandise, lots of people do declare that it does this, it does that however we’re but to see one which cures the malaria parasite.
“From my 25 years of expertise working with malaria and utilizing natural merchandise, I’ve not seen anybody that cured the parasite.
“I’ve examined greater than 50 natural merchandise within the final two years however I’ve not seen anybody that may treatment the parasite.
“All of the merchandise that we have now seen thus far, they solely suppress malaria however they don’t treatment. After a while, the parasite will nonetheless come out and the particular person may have these signs that he has malaria.”
He urged Nigerians to deal with malaria with customary and accepted remedy.
The researcher counselled “Lots of people assume that they’ve malaria once they don’t have it. There are lots of diseases that mimic malaria signs.
“If we have now signs of malaria, we should do a check and do it in a recognised facility.”
The 2020 World Malaria Report by the WHO indicated that Nigeria had the very best variety of world malaria instances (27 per cent of world malaria instances) in 2019 and accounted for the very best variety of deaths (23 per cent of world malaria deaths).
In a 2022 research printed in BioMed Central Malaria Journal, the researchers mentioned medicinal vegetation have a big half in lowering the severity of malaria resulting from their widespread use.
They mentioned extra research have been wanted to determine and develop efficient novel medication that could possibly be employed in broader malaria eradication efforts.
