Africa News of Friday, 20 March 2020

Source: africanews.com

Coronavirus : Nigeria battles chloroquine poisoning

File photo: Some Nigerians are abusing chloroquine as a preventive drug for COVID-19 File photo: Some Nigerians are abusing chloroquine as a preventive drug for COVID-19

An official of Nigeria’s Lagos State government has disclosed that hospitals are receiving patients suffering from chloroquine poisoning.

Oreoluwa Finnih, a Senior Special Assistant to Lagos governor has thus urged the public to desist from using the anti-malaria drug as a measure of preventing coronavirus infection. In Nigeria, reports indicate that the drug’s price has been hiked since the news broke.

Chloroquine has been gaining traction on social media since some news agencies reported it had been approved for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The outlets cited U.S. President Donald Trump as making the claims. America’s Food and Drugs Authority, FDA, has since disclaimed the assertion saying the drug has not been cleared for any such purpose.