Report by : FARIDAH N KULUMBA
Africa-Press – Uganda. has recorded 39,188 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 433 active cases and 318 people have succumbed to COVID-19.
Although there is no confirmed COVID-19, cure, but physicians have worked tirelessly to balance the different available medicines to control the the pandemic and many patients have recovered.
How did the pharmacists came up with the treatment trial?
The president of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni took up the position as the chair of COVID-19 National Task Force an led the country in the fight.
The president formed platforms such as Presidential Scientific Initiative on Epidemics .(PRESIDE) which consists a group of scientists with a core mission of developing products and tools to respond to COVID-19.
Since April 2020, The Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Institute led by Dr Grace Nambatya Kyeyune, have been working hard to come up with a scientifically proven natural product that is ready for clinical trials, anticipated to have antiviral (kill viruses), anti-inflammatory (reduces over reaction of the body to infections) and immunological (directs the immune system in the right direction) ability.
Although the government of Uganda had burnt all herbalists from advert all COVID-19 related medicine it came as surprise to many people, when they learnt that the research was funded by the government of Uganda according to the press statement from Presidential Scientific Initiative on the Epidemic.
The Director Makerere University Lung Institute Dr Bruce Kirenga who is the senior clinical trial physician revealed that assessing the efficacy of this treatment code named UBV-01B said to be the first Ugandan natural chemotherapeutic product to go through an international level clinical trial process.
It was first tried on animals, and that they are randomly enrolling patients being treated at a National Referral Hospital who will be given either an active drug or a placebo.
“We will start testing the drug on patients being treated at other facilities across the country” said Dr Kirenga
The news of the launch for the cure came as a surprise to many Ugandans, wondering how far has the trial come?
Among them was Esther Nakazzi preside of Uganda Health Journalists who asked through the health journalists forum on which stage was the treatment?
But the press statement from Presidential Scientific Initiative on Epidemic clarified that the product has already gone through multiple quality assurance steps and got all necessary certifications and approval for use in human beings in a clinical trial settings.”.
128 people who are COVID-19 positive between 18-70.are needed to participate In the herbal cure although Ugandans are ever hesitant when it comes to volunteering.
Although the physicfrom have worked tirelessly to find the cure, unfortunately they have not been successful. But they have balanced the different available medicines to control. COVID.-19 and thankfully many patients have recovered.
