Ebola: Nano-silver is pesticide, says US FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it has become
aware of products being sold online that fraudulently claim to prevent
or treat Ebola.

The FDA's warning comes on the heels of comments by Nigeria's top
health official, Onyebuchi Chukwu, who reportedly said earlier
Thursday that eight Ebola patients in Lagos will receive an
experimental treatment called nano-silver.

Erica Jefferson, a spokeswoman for the FDA, said she could not provide
any information about the product referenced by the Nigerians.

The FDA did not specify any products in its warning.

Silver has been used as an antibacterial for centuries. Tiny silver
particles known as nano-silver have controversially been incorporated
into a variety of consumer products such as socks and bedding to help
block odors caused by bacteria and mold.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers nano-silver a
pesticide. Manufacturers of products that contain it must register
them with the agency.

Nano-silver is also sometimes sold online as a dietary supplement even
though Danish researchers found in a recent study that nano-silver can
penetrate and damage cells.

The FDA regulates dietary supplements and said in its statement that
"by law, dietary supplements cannot claim to prevent or cure disease."

The agency said it had received consumer complaints about the Ebola claims.

"Individuals promoting these unapproved and fraudulent products must
take immediate action to correct or remove these claims or face
potential FDA action," the agency said.

The Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa has claimed 1,069 lives so
far. Most have been in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Nigeria has
confirmed 10 cases of the disease and four deaths.