Lamu, KENYA: A middle-aged man has shocked many after he declared that he had a cure for the Chikungunya virus.
Mohamed Maulana,46, who hails from Gadeni area in Lamu town said he had been using herbal concoctions to successfully cure people of Chikungunya in the town and beyond.
Speaking on Friday, Maulana said his ingredients for the final drug are simple and include Cinnamon, Ginger and the Black seed all of which are mashed and boiled to produce the cure for Chikungunya.
“I normally add a spoon on food essence to the liquid before I finally give it to a patient to drink after which they are cured of Chikungunya in a matter of days,” says Maulana.
Maulana brags that so far he has successfully treated over 7 people who had earlier tested positive for the Chikungunya virus.
Among those, he has attended to include himself, his children, neighbors and friends from Mombasa.
“This drug basically help bring down fever and completely deal with joint pain which are the main symptoms of Chikungunya faster that when you do it in hospital.When I tested positive for Chikungunya I refused to take hospital drugs as I knew the cure.That’s when I decided to offer similar treatment to others and so far so good,” said Maulana.
He says he is currently offering his services free of charge.
He says he has also taken it upon himself to spread the ‘knowledge’ by ensuring every single patient he attends to also learns how to treat the illness.
“I might not be a professional medical doctor but my joy is to see Lamu and the coast region free from Chikungunya and other bothersome illnesses.That’s my small contribution towards making the society a better place to live in,” adds Maulana.
Omar Salim, one of Maulana’s many patients who claim to have been cured of Chikungunya praised him for the venture which he said was ‘saving lost of lives and money too’.
“If you go to the hospital you will need money to be treated but he does it absolutely free of charge and that’s why we love him.I can attest that I had Chikungunya and I was cured after I took several portions of the herbal medicine,” said Salim.
However, Doctor Geoffrey Ongadi of the Langoni Hospital in Lamu town said it was misleading for anyone to claim that herbal concoctions could cure Chikungunya and asked people exhibiting symptoms of the illness to seek prompt medical interventions.
He said Maulana’s claims should be investigated to ascertain what he was actually up to.
Ongadi said there was a high possibility that such claims were purely based on misleading beliefs that people have in herbalists.
“I cant tell whether or not his claims are true, that’s not my job.There is no science proving his claims to treat Chikungunya and all we can do is wait.People must however not joke with the illness and anyone who exhibits the symptoms must rush to the hospital for treatment,” said Ongadi.
A week ago, Lamu county reported the first four cases of the Chikungunya virus in Tchundwa village in Lamu East.
The health office has so far embarked on vector control measures that include spraying insecticides in all villages and also issuing free mosquito nets to all residents in a bid to curb the escalation in the spread of the illness.
