Banner Poison and Drug Information Center
23/03/2020
PHOENIX (March 23, 2020) – Medical toxicologists and
emergency physicians are warning the public against the use of inappropriate
medications and household products to prevent or treat COVID-19. In particular,
Banner Health experts emphasize that chloroquine, a malaria medication, should not be ingested to treat or
prevent this virus.
“Given the uncertainty around COVID-19, we
understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this
virus, but self-medicating is not the way to do so,” said Dr. Daniel Brooks,
Banner Poison and Drug Information Center medical director. “The last thing
that we want right now is to inundate our emergency departments with patients
who believe they found a vague and risky solution that could potentially
jeopardize their health.”
A man has died and his wife is under
critical care after the couple, both in their 60s, ingested chloroquine
phosphate, an additive commonly used at aquariums to clean
fish tanks. Within thirty minutes of ingestion, the couple experienced
immediate effects requiring admittance to a nearby Banner Health
hospital.
Most patients who become infected with COVID-19 will
only require symptomatic care and self-isolation to prevent the risk of
infecting others. Check first with a primary care physician. The routine
use of specific treatments, including medications described as ‘anti-COVID-19’,
is not recommended for non-hospitalized patients, including the anti-malarial
drug chloroquine.
“We are strongly urging the medical community to not
prescribe this medication to any non-hospitalized patients,” said Dr. Brooks.
For disinfecting surfaces, the Centers for Diseases
and Control Prevention recommends the use of diluted household bleach
solutions, alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol and common
EPA-registered household disinfectants.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND RESOURCES:
·
Visit Banner’s COVID-19
webpage for more information about COVID-19.
·
Banner has an online
symptom checker for those concerned about their symptoms.
Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of
the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and
operates 28 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner – University
Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers,
outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner
Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a
nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California,
Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com.
For further information: Alexis Kramer-Ainza,
alexis.kramer-ainza@bannerhealth.com
Banner Poison and Drug Information Center medical
director
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