Windhoek -The Namibian government is warning its citizens not to trust claims on social media that elephant dung can cure Covid-19, as coronavirus infections rise more rapidly.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Romeo Muyunda, said the government has observed that elephant dung was increasingly being touted as a Covid-19 cure.
“We have seen on social media people selling elephant dung at exorbitant prices. There is a whole hype around it,” he said.
Minister of Health Kalumbi Shangula said Covid-19 currently has no known cure.
“If anybody claims as such, it must be treated as a false claim,” said the minister.
Some traditional healers have claimed that elephant dung has healing properties including for treating headaches, toothaches and blocked sinuses, but claiming it can cure Covid-19 was seen as a new trend in the south western country.
Namibia, who at first won praise for containing the spread of the coronavirus, is now facing a much faster increase in new infections.
The country’s capital, Windhoek, recently overtook the harbour town of Walvis Bay as the virus’ epicentre, and it now has 4,344 confirmed cases and 36 deaths, according to the latest officially tally.
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