'It started with flu and breathing difficulties but I did not bother because I did not know how Covid-19 conducts itself within the body,” Eric Kihuluka, 48, a renowned herbalist and farmer in Kaliro starts off.

He suspects he got the virus when he came to Kampala for shopping. He treated himself until he lost his sense of taste and smell on the ninth day. The reality of having Covid-19 came in on the 12th day.

“As a disabled person, I cannot freely climb stairs in those Kampala arcades so all the time I wanted to climb, I would call someone nearby to give me support and I suspect that is how I got the virus because I am so keen on my healthy. Even when I get into public transport, I first spray the seats using surgical spirits because it has green and castor oil that makes it stronger to kill germs. I wish people know this and use surgical spirit as sanitizer.

'The following day, I woke up with a sore throat, no sense of smell, weak joint and I had no appetite. As an herbalist with experience of 20 years, I decided to treat myself self-using my own cough syrup known as Kofnil which is on the market. It gave me relief but at night at around 2:00 pm, I felt fatigued and breathing difficulty. I woke up and made myself a concoction of Tumeric, cloves, and Mukuzannume.

On the third day, I was better during day time but at night at 2:00 pm, I started breathing like a cat. I suspected pneumonia so I moved out of my room and went out to get fresh air but the condition worsened. I poured my cough syrup in hot water and decided to steam. This time the progress was weak, and I started feeling joint pain.

During the day I felt better and I would work on my farm. But at night it was a different story. I kept on treating myself until on the 12^th day when I decided to contact a medical doctor who advised me to do a Covid-19 test, I knew that when I do a test they would find me positive so I decided not to step in any hospital and continued treating myself.

When the condition worsened, I did a test and it was confirmed that I had the virus. I decided to treat myself from home. I started taking porridge with different cereals like maize, oats, rice, millet, and sorghum to improve my immunity.

Slowly the flu cleared by itself, so I decided to make myself a concoction of alcohol and other plants, I would put four drops in the nose during the day and it helped me. On the 19^th day, I was better and I was the one treating most of the people in the community.

Advice

People should take warm water at least five times a day at an interval of 2hours. The warm water makes your body temperature constant.

If you do not like taking water, at least take five sips. If that is also hard, make sure you buy tea masala from the supermarket and put it in hot water. It will help with blood circulation. Make sure you take vegetables and fruits as juice. Because vitamin C, B and D are found in those foods.

Do away with cold stuff, avoid staying in places that have an air conditioner on all the time.

If you have the disease, do not fear because fear will kill you. Do a lot of steaming we have the plants in Uganda. Steam with turmeric, pineapple peels, bukomela, mango leaves, Mwabalabutonya, eucalyptus leaves, and erythrina locally known as jilikiti. Mix all those trees with incense sticks.

Right now, I can dig and I am the one spreading the well-being gospel.