BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN

The first is regarding the use of Vitamin C against Covid-19 , and the second relates to the effect of Covid-19 vaccines on infection . It said room for the authorities to re-think and re-strategise was now open .

MAECC wants a re-think of the nation ’ s management strategies against Covid-19 , particularly its treatment protocol . It advocates for alternative treatment protocols citing the latest scientific publications and studies proving its efficacy in early Covid-19 treatment ( see sidebar ).

MAECC is a non-governmental group comprising six medical and consumerrelated organisations . The statement was signed by Capt ( Rtd ) Dr Wong Ang Peng on behalf of the MAECC Secretariat .

It was co-signed by Dr Suresh Rajoo of the Society for Advancement of Hormones and Healthy Aging Medicine Malaysia ( SAHAMM ), Dr Vijaendreh Subramaniam for the Malaysian Association for the Advancement of Functional and Interdisciplinary Medicine ( MAAFIM ), Connie Lee Yoke Kwan for the Malaysian Society of Complementary Medicine ( MSCM ), Saroja Theavy Balakrishnan for the Society of Natural Health Malaysia ( SNH ), Prof Dr Chong Wee Fong for the Naturopathic Medical Association Malaysia ( NMAN ) and Datuk Nadzim Johan for Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia ( PPIM ).

Nadzim , who is PPIM president , said mainstream or allopathic medicine

Dr Vijaendreh Subramaniam

cannot always heal an ailment or disease , reduce mortality and , unfortunately , can inadvertently contribute to an increase in mortality .

“ To penalise doctors advocating integrative or holistic medicine to achieve optimal health is against the national constitution . The Covid-19 treatment protocols are advocated by medical professionals that are pioneers in their various specialities and have proven clinically to be very safe and effective in prevention and treatment .

“ The protocols have also been published in peer-reviewed international medical journals . There is no valid medical reason that prevention and early treatment not be given to every Malaysian .”

STRONG SIGNAL OF THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY

On Ivermectin , Nadzim said it is one of human and veterinary medicine ’ s bestknown and most widely used antiparasitic drugs . It has been noted to have antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties , which led to an increasing list of therapeutic

indications .

“ Ivermectin became popular during the Covid-19 pandemic as a form of treatment . It was reported that many observational and randomised studies evaluated Ivermectin as a treatment for and even as a prophylaxis against Covid-19 .”

The Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance ’ s review , which summarised findings from 27 studies , concluded that Ivermectin “ demonstrates a strong signal of therapeutic efficacy ” against Covid-19 and reduced deaths by 75 per cent .

The World Health Organisation ( WHO ), the US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ), and the European Medicines Agency ( EMA ), however , recommended against its use outside of clinical trials , stating “ there are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of Ivermectin for the treatment of Covid-19 .”

Despite the restriction from WHO , several countries authorised using Ivermectin during the pandemic . Japan , South Africa , large regions of India and at least 10 Latin American countries were reported to have implemented Covid-19 preventative and treatment programmes with Ivermectin .

In line with international advice , Malaysia ’ s Ministry of Health ( MoH ) only approved the use of Ivermectin to carry out clinical trials and restricted its use for the treatment of Covid-19 .

Dr Vijaendreh , who is MAAFIM president , said : “ Used in the correct fashion and dosage , Ivermectin reduces the risk for Covid-19 with very high confidence for mortality , ventilation , ICU admission , hospitalisation , progression , recovery , cases , viral clearance and in a pooled analysis .

“ During the Covid-19 crisis , MAAFIM emerged as a strong advocate for the role of Ivermectin in Covid-19 treatment .