Dr Carol Iwuoha, Consultant, Public Health and Community Medicine Physician, has warned against self-medication in the handling of COVID-19.
Iwuoha issued the warning on Thursday in a lecture entitled, “COVID- 19: Awareness, Impact and Citizen Response in Abia State”, delivered at the 29th Abia Day celebration in Umuahia.
She said that several cases of drug toxicity, especially from irrational use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, had been recorded.
She warned against the management of COVID-19 at chemist and patent medicine stores.
Iwuoha, who is the Chairman, Abia State Inter-Ministerial Committee on COVID-19, urged people to go for voluntary testing to enable screening, isolation and notification of positive cases.
She called for adherence to COVID-19 protocols, including regular hand-washing, use of hand sanitisers and face masks as well as physical distancing.
She said that the protocols provide barrier protection to people and their neighbours.
Iwuoha, a former state Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association, advocated early presentation when one had the symptoms of COVID- 19.
According to her, this has made the difference between those who survived and those we have sadly lost to COVID-19.
“Avoid stigmatisation of people who have recovered from COVID-19 or have symptoms suggestive of the illness. It is not a death sentence,” she said.
She said that staying in crowded places promote the spread of the virus “as it has been confirmed to be spread both as a droplet infection and airborne infection.”
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