At the microphone of Europe 1, Martin Hirsch, Director General of Public Assistance – Hospitals of Paris, returned to the evolution of the epidemic of the coronavirus and in particular chloroquine, a drug against malaria which could be a remedy for Chinese virus. Martin Hirsch advises against its use and rather recommends respecting “barrier gestures” to limit the spread of the virus INTERVIEW
Is chloroquine, a medicine against malaria, the miracle cure for coronavirus? No, judging by the comments made by Martin Hirsch this Sunday on Europe 1. Asked at the microphone of Bernard Poirette, the director general of the Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris said that chloroquine was not effective against Coronavirus epidemic, which is spreading worldwide and which has infected more than 86,000 people.
“Chloroquine has never worked in a living being”
“All the specialists I have seen say that chloroquine: ‘every time there is a new virus, there is a guy who says it will work’,” said Martin Hirsch at the microphone of Europe 1 This drug had nevertheless proven effective against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and the director general of the AP-HP recognizes that it can work, but not on an individual carrying the virus. “Chloroquine works very well in a test tube (in vitro, ed) But never walked in a living being. “
“Do not think that by taking chloroquine, you will protect yourself, on the other hand Mr. Poirette, continue not to shake my hand”, jokes Martin Hirsch by referring to the instructions dictated by the Minister of Health Olivier Véran. Gilbert Deray, a nephrologist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital on Thursday, judged this “useless and dangerous” drug at the microphone of Europe 1. “You have to be very careful because it gives a lot of side effects, and in particular it causes damage to the retina with vision loss that can be irreversible,” he warns.
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