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Thursday, April 30, 2020

TANZANIANS TURN TO 'STEAM THERAPY' AGAINST COVID-19

Dar es Salaam TANZANIA

Tanzania experts on traditional medicines have supported their government position on the use of alternative remedies, including steam inhalation therapy, to fight coronavirus infection.
The Minister of State in the President’s office, Selemani Jafo
Addressing the nation last week President John Magufuli advised Tanzanians to use alternative remedies such as steam inhalation therapy to ease the symptoms of COVID -19.
“Steam inhalation is scientifically clear since vapour produced above 100 degrees centigrade can easily dissolve the virus because it is simply an oil,” Magufuli said.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Tanzania has today jumped to 480 after 196 people tested positive of the novel coronavirus with six more deaths bringing the number of fatalities to 16 since the virus was first recorded in Tanzania in March this year.
A number of Tanzania citizens have started steaming themselves and their families using various types of herbs.
The experts said that the reminder by the government to encourage the use of traditional medicines calls for joint efforts between traditional medicine practitioners and other stakeholders to use their knowledge and expertise in serving the public and ultimately obtain a cure for the respiratory disease.
The Minister of State in the President’s office, Selemani Jafo, said that steam inhalation therapy was used before, during and after colonialism in our country to treat various diseases such as respiratory-related like difficulties in breathing, cough and flu adding that the country also have traditional medicines for strengthening body immunity.
He said that apart from other formal strides taken by the government and stakeholders to fight the spread of the disease, steam inhalation was crucial during this terrible time.
"As some of experts recommend the use of several ways to fight the pandemic, it is high time we adopt alternative ways including steam inhalation, this sounds as one of the effective way to curb the spread of the infections," he said.
The minister also urged families to ensure they take balanced diet with more of ginger, garlic, watermelon, oranges, lemon and lime among other things.
"We should not wait for white people's approval to use the natural remedies, let us join efforts and use our own ways to survive, organic medicines are vital and we should not ignore them," Jafo stressed.
Director of the Institute of Traditional
Medicine at the Muhimbili University
of Health and Allied Sciences,
Joseph Otieno
The Director of the Institute of Traditional Medicine at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Joseph Otieno, said in an interview with a local television that steam inhalation was not a preventive measures, but rather, can be useful to a patient who has contracted the respiratory disease.
He said steam therapy is used to treat a number of diseases, including stress to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the body and regulate blood vessels.
He advised the public to continue taking steam therapy even after the COVID-19 is eradicated.
Otieno further said that people taking steam therapy should not mix more than three herbs for the medicine to be effective and close their eyes to avoid damaging the organs.
Early this month, the former Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, Anna Tibaijuka, advised the government to have an alternative plan in the fight against coronavirus pandemic.
The current Member of Parliament for Muleba South, said although patients were treated using conventional medicines, even traditional ones have proved effective in other nations in managing the disease.
“It was high time the government encouraged the use of traditional remedies, especially steam therapy.” She said.
Former Executive Director of
UN-HABITAT, Anna Tibaijuka
Experts have called for traditional medicine practitioners in collaboration with experts from research institutes, including Government Chemist Laboratory Authority, National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Sokoine University for Agriculture (SUA), Tanzania Forest Service Agency (TFS) and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied sciences (MUHAS) to use the natural plants available in the country to come up with medication for the disease.
To date, there are no specific vaccines or medicines for COVID-19 according to World Health Organization. – Africa

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