Soldiers in Madagascar went door-to-door in the capital Antananarivo, doling out sachets of a local herbal tea touted by President Andry Rajoelina as
Soldiers in Madagascar went door-to-door in the capital Antananarivo, doling out sachets of a local herbal tea touted by President Andry Rajoelina as a powerful remedy against the novel coronavirus.
Aptly named Covid-Organics, the tonic is derived from artemisia, a plant with proven efficacy in treating malaria as well as other indigenous herbs. It has been developed by the Madagascar Institute of Applied Research (IMRA) but has not been tested internationally.
“This herbal tea gives results in seven days. We can change the history of the entire world,” he said, after downing a dose. Two people have now been cured by this treatment,” Rajoelina announced at its official launch on Tuesday.
However, scientists have warned of the potential risk from untested herbal brews.
There is currently no known cure for coronavirus, which has infected at least 121 people in Madagascar and more than 2.6 million worldwide.
Yet military officials on the Indian Ocean island nation say the infusion would be better than nothing.
“It will strengthen immunity,” said military doctor Colonel Willy Ratovondrainy as troops launched a mass distribution campaign.
In pairs, soldiers followed people through Antananarivo’s narrow alleyways into their homes.
Most of Madagascar’s 26 million inhabitants live in grinding poverty with limited access to healthcare and regularly take herbal teas for a variety of common ailments. The country’s coronavirus cases remain relatively low and there have been no recorded deaths so far.
But the country’s fragile healthcare system would easily be swamped by a surge in cases and authorities are banking on prevention. Their aim is to raise awareness about the virus and strengthen people’s immune systems.
