The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has advised Nigerians not to use chloroquine and its derivatives to treat the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The health agency made this known in a post on its official twitter handle, @NCDCgov, on Wednesday.
NCDC stated that the use of chloroquine to treat the virus is yet to be approved or validated, warning Nigerians against self-medication.
It wrote: “Please remember that the use of chloroquine and its derivatives for the management of coronavirus disease has NOT been validated and approved
“Self-medication can cause harm and lead to death. Do not misuse drugs”
Please remember that the use of chloroquine and its derivatives for the management of coronavirus disease has NOT been validated and approved
Self-medication can cause harm and lead to death. Do not misuse drugs
More details via https://t.co/zQrpNeOfet pic.twitter.com/5NxJBl0Iou
— NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 25, 2020
Nigeria now has 46 cases. One person had been declared dead while two have been discharged.
Since its outbreak in December 2019, coronavirus has affected over 300,000 people in over 180 countries across the globe.
The virus has also caused the death of over 11,000 as of Monday, March 23.
To stem the spread, Nigeria has placed a travel ban on 15 high-risk Covid-19 countries and also closed down all its borders.
Several state governors have given orders forbidding gatherings of more than 50 persons including religious houses, night-clubs, and schools.
These measures, as well as the uncertainty the novel virus brought with it, has increased the level at which information is being disseminated and shared across platforms.
POLITICS NIGERIA has done well enough to debunk many fake news.
