Hydroxychloroquine side effects: All you need to know about di drug Trump say im dey take to prevent coronavirus

US President Donald Trump say im dey take anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as preventive measure against Covid-19, although sabi pipo don warn about di side effects.

But sabi pipo still dey study if hydroxychloroquine (and one drug wey resemble am wey dem dey call chloroquine) dey effective against coronavirus.

Di World Health Organization say dem dey concerned by reports of pipo wey dey do self-medication and dey cause serious harm to dia body.

One former top US health official bin don tok about di safety concern before.

Dr Rick Bright,wey dem remove from im post for April bin dey lead di goment vaccine development efforts, e say President Trump focus on these drugs dey "distract dozens of federal scientists".

And US Food and Drugs Administration, wey bin give approval to use them for specific occasion only, don also warn about di possible side effects.

Wetin be di evidence say e fit treat Covid-19?

President Trump bin don tok about di potential use of hydroxychloroquine during im White House briefings. For press conference for April, im say: "Wetin you get to lose? Take am."

And Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro claim for inside one video say hydroxychloroquine dey work everywhere", although Facebook don remove dat part ontop say im break dia misinformation guidelines rule.

Sake of all di publicity wey di drug get as possible treatment, di demand for dem don increase well-well for di world.

Afta Presido Trump chook mouth for di drug mata for late March, prescription for both chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine increase for US.

Tori be say tablets wey get chloroquine dem dey use am for di treatment of malaria to reduce fever and inflammation, and di hope na say dem fit also slow di virus wey di cause Covid-19.

Trials dey happun for different kontries on using di drugs to prevent di illness. As part of these studies, frontline workers wey dey highly exposed to di virus dey take am as preventive measure.

Oda studies dey chook eye weda e fit help patients wey already get Covid-19.

For US, various trials dey go on for combination of drugs including chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and one antibiotic wey dem dey call azithromycin, for treating Covid-19 patients.

But di evidence wey dey no dey too much for now from current trials as to how effective e dey to treat patients with Covid-19.

Risks of serious side effects, including renal and liver damage also dey.

Which oda kontries don authorise make dem use am?

For late March, di US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) bin grant "emergency use" for di use of dis drugs to treat small number of Covid-19 cases for hospital.

E no mean say di FDA say e go work. But e mean say for some kain circumstances, hospitals fit request and use di medicines from goment stockpiles for Covid-19 treatment.

But on 24 April, FDA also warn about di dangers of using di substances because of reports of heart rhythm problems for patients.

US goment say one German-based pharmaceutical company donate 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine give dem.

Oda kontries dey also use di anti-malarial drugs to some extent.

France don authorise dia doctors to prescribe dem for patients with Covid-19, but di kontri medical watchdog don warn about di side effects.