Ebola: Nigerians blast US FDA for calling its experimental drug, pesticide

U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suffers huge social media
backlash from Nigerians yesterday, over its description of Nano Silver
as a pesticide, a drug which was recently announced by the country's
Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, to be an experimental treatment of
patients affected with the deadly Ebola disease.

The FDA's warning was made on the heels of comments by Chukwu, who
reportedly said on Thursday that eight Ebola patients in Lagos will
receive an experimental treatment called nano-silver.

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.

As the US FDA's warning went viral, Nigerians erupted with outrage on
social media as they mostly express the need for their country to
protect lives of its citizenry after US declined giving out its'
Zimapp.

One Joseph Anthony writes, "West made a lot of mistakes on the road to
there so called "state of art medicines". We had no opportunity to
scrutinize Zmapp. Let's take a bold step to try something. Nothing is
as strong as a proof.

We may try it with rodents and watch out for cultured results or
patterns and if we get the gut feeling to proceed based on the results
the why not! Let's ignore everyone. For once let's look inward for
solutions we are not toilet to receive processed products by others."
He ended

Another commentator, who identifies self as Zuby expressed that when
an African says he can cure AIDS or Ebola they tell him to shut up,
say it's impossible or not possible without testing it. He stressed
that the drug should be offered to one person who already has Ebola
and if it doesn't work then we know for sure it's doesn't.

Abidemi Adekunle pleaded with America, saying they should be
magnanimous enough to release the very drug that is working for them
to other nations now that WHO has authorised the use of experimental
drug.

"If its pesticide, we need it that's all. How do we come about Ebola?
In fact I guess they cultured the virus and send it to Africa because
we rejected gay marriage. If you could remember that such has been
done some years back against China through SARS" says one Anigbogu
Okechukwu

From the FDA's report, it was also revealed that Silver has been in
use for centuries. FDA states that over the years, 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 over.

This is happening at a time doctors and nurses attending to victims of
the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, at Mainland Hospital, Lagos
isolation centre, downed tools following allegation of negligence by
concerned relatives and associates of the female medical doctor and
health workers who contracted the EVD from the late Liberian-American,
Patrick Sawyer.

Meanwhile Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, had pleaded with
the health workers on the need to get back to during a media briefing
in Lagos, yesterday.

Fashola laments that Lagos State was yet to receive the experimental
Ebola drug (Nano Silver) and a kobo out of the N1.9 billion Federal
Government intervention fund.