FALSE! Aboniki is not a Cure for COVID-19

There have been claims on Facebook and other social media sites that suggest that Aboniki cream (a very popular liniment in Ghana) and its inhaler can cure COVID-19.

The claims have been accompanied by so-called testimonies that have been shared on various social media platforms.

Explanation:

Checks by Fact-check Ghana indicate that the claims are false. After a call and an email to an official at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the claim has been debunked.

“In relation to the said cream, the Health Service and the WHO have still not identified or discovered a cure for COVID-19. Research is still on-going in that regard. Also, the GHS, WHO and FDA have not certified any medicine whether in the form of tablets, cream or concoction intended for cure or management of COVID-19,” Dr Abekuliya, Coordinator for the Risk Communication at the Health Promotion Division of the Ghana Health Service said.

He also added the Center for Research into Plant Medicine at Mampong-Akuapem has received some samples of herbal medications that it is researching into for potential medicine for managing and curing COVID-19.

As at the last check on the website of the World Health Organization, there has not been any drug licensed as cure for the treatment of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).