WHO raises concerns about coronavirus myths in Africa as 3 countries announce plans to import an unproven herbal tonic

• Tanzania, the Republic of the Congo, and Guinea-Bissau are looking to import "Covid Organics," an unproven tonic produced from the artemisia plant.
• In response, the WHO issued a health bulletin warning the public about using unproven products to treat COVID-19.
• Fiona Mavhinga, executive advisor to CAMFED, told Business Insider that social distancing is especially difficult in Africa, where people survive on togetherness, or the principle of ubuntu.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The World Health Organization issued an advisory bulletin about the dangers of using unproven medical 'cures' after three African countries announced plans to import an unproven herbal tonic to fight the new coronavirus.

Tanzania, Congo-Brazzaville, and Guinea-Bissau are looking to import a tonic called "Covid Organics," produced from the artemisia plant in Madagascar.

Artemisia is a source of an ingredient in a WHO-approved malaria treatment, and some labs are testing it to see if it can be of any use against COVID-19. But as of yet it is unproven, and even Madagascar's national medical academy has publicly voiced their doubts.

The BBC reported that the tonic has been tested on less than 20 people before being available for purchase.

"The use of products which have not been robustly investigated to treat COVID-19 can put people in danger," the WHO wrote, "giving a false sense of security and distracting them from hand washing and physical distancing which are cardinal in COVID-19 prevention."

Misinformation about COVID-19 is spreading in some African countries

This was exactly what Fiona Mavhinga, executive advisor to the nonprofit Campaign for Female Education, was worried would happen.

Now based in Cambridge, England, she grew up in rural Zimbabwe, and she knows first-hand just how quickly misinformation can spread, and how difficult it can be to socially distance in a village.

"There has been a lot of misinformation going on," Mavhinga told Business Insider.

Every day Mavhinga spends hours on conference calls and looking through WhatsApp groups, trying to ensure that people in countries like Zimbabwe and Zambia are equipped with the knowledge they need to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.

On those WhatsApp groups, some misinformation has been circulating.

"Some of them we've been hearing are that you have to drink a concoction of soda, lemon and salt to kill the virus, or that coronavirus is a white person's disease because they don't have the immunity that black people have," said Mavhinga. "Or that coronavirus is for rich people who travel by planes, so you can only get coronavirus if you've ever been on an aeroplane."

Another myth is that 5G spreads COVID-19, even though few African countries have 5G and even 4G is limited in Africa.

Her work involves getting CAMFED representatives to post handwritten signs about preventative measures in places like the community wells, where everyone gathers, or visit people's homes and from a distance, tell them how to stay safe, or make appearances on community radio stations.

In many places, the safety rules go against the grain of the culture of togetherness — such as in the community Mavhinga grew up in, where the belief in "ubuntu" (that being together makes you stronger than being apart) is strong.

What's more, the suggestion that people should stay home is just not an option for many people, making it even more important to quell misinformation. "The coronavirus has been quite devastating for our rural communities, most of whom rely on hand to mouth incomes," Mavhinga told Business Insider.

"Really, ensuring that people have the correct information about coronavirus is key to people understanding that this coronavirus is a dangerous disease," said Mavhinga.