Minister Of Health, Ehanire Speaks On Using Chloroquine As Cure For Coronavirus

General Updates

Posted by Shollay March 21, 2020

coronavirus

Minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, yesterday insisted that Nigeria has not recommended the use of chloroquine for the treatment of coronavirus in the country.

This, Ehanire said while answering questions from journalists on the status of Covid-19 in the country.

He noted that chloroquine has not been proven as the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

According to him, the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines should be followed, not the recommendations of U.S. president, Donald Trump.

“We no longer use chloroquine in Nigeria. Donald Trump made this announcement but we are not following that announcement.

“We look at what the WHO recommend and we also ask our scientists here what for their recommendations.

“So far, what has been said about chloroquine is it was active in vitro test (test performed in a test tube, or elsewhere outside a living organism) and not in vivo (in the living organism) that is what we know so far about the chloroquine but the situation might change tomorrow,” he said.

Mr Ehanire said the country is “not going to necessarily look at that but we are not ignoring that either possible option”.

He said for the cases Nigeria has had so far, “they did not require the use of chloroquine or any medication”.

He said it had largely been ‘supportive treatment.’