On Monday, March 17, 2020, Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga announced that Prof. Sarfaraz K. Niazi, an advisor to the United States Congress and Government had teamed up with a Ugandan biochemist from Busoga Mathias Magoola to come up with the spray.
Kadaga said that the spray was to be produced at DEI Group in Luzira, Kampala and will be the first product that instantly kills the virus.
“A Professor who manufactured a treatment for corona virus in the US was here last week and he has donated the patent to Uganda and within a fortnight, the treatment will be made here….. It will be made by a Company called Dei International. …..There is hope and the treatment will start here in Uganda,” she said.
Her comments have attracted a backlash given that coronavirus has no known cure. Neither do all known viruses including HIV/AIDS.
Dr Richard Idro President, Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has slammed Kadaga for her comments saying that there is no single medicine that can cure this disease or a vaccine that can prevent it, much as many are being tested.
“Any unevidenced claim of a treatment or cure without due scientific evidence and corroboration by a competent institution mandated to regulate medicines is not only incorrect, gives false hope but may also be dangerous” he said.
Dr. Indro in a statement dated Tuesday, March 17 added that Speaker revelation is instead diverts the population from known and effective preventive messages.
He expressed displeasure about the quack cadre scientists whose desire he said is to misinform the leadership of Uganda.
“From what we understand, whatever was purported as a treatment, cure or vaccine is actually a disinfectant meant for external body use.
He wondered why would the USA give the patent of a potential cure to country with not a single case when it has several
thousand cases.
According to scientists in the US and Europe have predicted that it will take up to a year to develop a vaccine for coronavirus.
With the country at the threat of coronavirus although yet to confirm a case according to the Ministry of Health, some have asked on if the said professor was quarantined for the required 14 days.
“There is need to know how this man got into the country, whether he was also quarantined for 14 days,” Thomas Dumba, an immigration lawyer based in the United Kingdom said.
