Ebola "Cure": Nigerian Professor Might Face Prosecution

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) threatened on September 16 to arrest the Nigerian professor who claimed that vegetable Ewedu could cure Ebola.

Ewedu (long-fruited vegetable)

It would be recalled that about a week ago Adebukola Ositelu, professor of ‎Ophthalmology at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and consultant at the Lagos University Hospital (LUTH), said that the native vegetable Ewedu might be used both to prevent and treat the deadly virus.
Reacting to the claims, NAFDAC described them as unverified and threatened the scholar with legal proceedings, Vanguard reports.
Paul Orhii, Director General of the body said such statements by health representatives could mislead people during the hard period of Ebola outrage.

Although there is currently no active case of infection recorded in the country, Orhii lamented that the Nigerians have been badly traumatized in the recent period in connection with the virus outrage.

“One consequence of these unsupported and possibly fraudulent claims is that people may be misled into a false sense of invincibility on account of eating Ewedu or bitter kola and drop their guards. This is a national embarrassment and the Agency will not take such uncorroborated claims by supposedly learned people lightly. These professors should not be patronised by Nigerians. Anybody who claims to have a cure for Ebola should come to NAFDAC, the Ethics Committee or the Treatment Research Group set up by the Federal government than causing more panic in the country. NAFDAC will immediately arrest and prosecute any Nigerian making such unverified claims as that could mislead the public.”

There is still no approved vaccine against Ebola. Since the emergence of first EVD case in Nigeria, the rumours about various kinds of treatment have been introduced locally.
First the reports about the “magic power” of bitter kola started making rounds, but the rumour was soon debunked by the Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu.
Then a more dangerous cure was suggested and it rapidly spread in the social media. According to the information provided, drinking and bathing in hot water with salt could help prevent and get rid of Ebola. As a result of this false report several people died trying to protect themselves from the virus.
Meanwhile the hemorrhagic fever has already claimed more than 2,300 lives in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The figure is expected to rise.