African panel endorses herbal trial protocol

Regional director Matshidiso Moeti said that research into potential traditional COVID-19 therapies needed a scientific foundation.

An independent commission certified interruption of indigenous wild poliovirus transmission in the region.

Health workers and communities sustained immunization and surveillance across countries.

The achievement did not eliminate vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks.

The announcement recognized sustained prevention, case detection and international cooperation.

The panel also endorsed terms of reference for a data and safety monitoring board to review participant safety during trials.

The agreed protocol was intended to help African scientists generate comparable evidence under international clinical research standards.

Its endorsement applied to methods for testing potential therapies; safety and effectiveness remained to be established by research.

The global plan set vaccination, screening and treatment targets for 2030.

The strategy called for widespread immunization of girls by age 15.