A Professor of Microbiology, Moses Efuntoye, has cautioned against the indiscriminate use of herbal products, warning that many of these products are reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant organisms that pose great danger to human health.
The professor lamented that the global economic downturn and the increased medical costs are forcing many Nigerians to embrace the use of herbal concoctions.
PUNCH Healthwise had reported how rising drug prices and a dire economic crisis are making Nigerians resort to herbal medicines as an alternative treatment regimen.
The report titled; ‘Rising drug prices push Nigerians to dangerous herbal cocktails’, chronicled how some Nigerians have embraced cheaper alternatives such as herbal medications or herbal concoctions popularly known in the South-West as agbo.
Delivering the 116th inaugural lecture of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, the Professor of Microbiology said several studies have shown many of these herbal products contain fungal mycotoxin which does not only aid resistance to antibiotics but could also cause death.
The microbiologist described mycotoxin found in herbal concoctions as a toxic substance produced by fungi and capable of causing disease and death in both humans and other animals.
He said, “From the level of mycotoxin detected in the crude herbal products during several studies, it is evident that the drugs were suitable for the elaboration of mycotoxin. It therefore means that there is a need for caution in the use of some herbal drugs sold in our markets these days.”
The professor said that bacteria are today known to form ‘cooperative societies’ to survive the actions of antibiotics by forming a multilayer conglomeration of diverse species of bacteria called biofilms, especially on kits used to treat ailments.
Speaking on the topic: ‘The Triad of Toughness, Tenacity, and Tameness in the Tale of Antibiotic Resistance’, the microbiologist warned that some of the swimming pools, insects, fish from ponds, and other herbal products being patronized in many parts of the southwest region were reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
He urged the Nigerian government to explore alternatives to antibiotics in the treatment of infections.
He expressed concern over the economic burden of antimicrobial resistance at the national and global levels, stressing that the war against antibiotic resistance may never be won.
The don, however, called for setting up a consortium of researchers drawn from the country’s universities to commence meaningful collaborative research towards finding solutions to the socio-economic, political, technological, food, and health issues.
“While antibiotic resistance is undoubtedly a global problem, it also requires shared responsibility by different countries. Each country is expected to engage in actions and interventions that are specific to its health system in controlling the escalation of this global threat. Efforts should also be made to explore alternatives to antibiotics in the treatment of infections,” he stated.
Efuntoye also advised the Federal Government to take advantage of the present economic downturn to mobilise the nation’s abundant human resources to invent urgent solutions to food, energy, and other challenges confronting the country now.
He further advocated that the nation’s non-conventional universities such as Federal Universities of Agriculture, and Federal Universities of Technology, among other research mandates to find answers to critical issues facing the country within a specific time frame.
According to him, funds for such research mandates should be drawn from TETFund and devoid of ‘government bureaucratic bottlenecks’.
Punch
