A 'Symptoms Of Ebola' Mural In Monrovia, Liberia
A man walks by a mural that reads "Symptoms of Ebola" in Monrovia, Liberia, October 12, 2014. Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 4,000 people since March in an epidemic centered around Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Reuters/James Giahyue

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has dismissed homeopathic remedies as the solution to the Ebola outbreak. According to reports, the prime minister said Green Party MP Steffan Browning's suggestion of considering homeopathy as "barking mad." Browning has previously signed an online petition on Change.org which called on the World Health Organisation to consider the option as an Ebola treatment.

The online petition urged WHO to end the crisis in West Africa by testing and distributing homeopathy to contain the outbreak. Reports said homeopathy is an alternative medicine system in which the patient is treated with a diluted form of substance causing the symptoms of the disease. The petition suggested using a diluted version of the Ebola virus.

Mr Key had thought the idea was absurd and challenged the MP to present medical research supporting homeopathy. Browning had previously shared the online petition on his Facebook page. He now thought it was "probably unwise" for him to do so. He said he signed the petition late at night and admitted he dropped his standards as a member of Parliament.

Browning revealed he was not against the alternative treatment which he said he had used himself and saw one of his children had recovered from homeopathy. When reporters asked if he believed it could cure Ebola, he refused to comment and only said the matter was for the international health authorities to answer. Since the WHO did not have a cure at the moment, he had hoped the organisation will consider other treatment options.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Health Minister Jonathan Colemen said using homeopathic remedies on Ebola patients was a "wacko idea." He remarked he doesn't know what Browning could have been thinking but the idea was "stupid" and dangerous.

Fran Sheffield, the organiser of the online petition, claimed homeopathy had a proven track record in preventing serious diseases like malaria and dengue fever. She said the treatment could work to fight the Ebola virus. She added that homeopathic remedies can be easily manufactured and distributed in large quantities, reports said.

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman was quick to say Browning's position does not reflect that of the Green Party. He also agreed the MP was unwise is signing the online petition which has reportedly reached 5,000 signatures.