Pr Coumba Toure Kane : « Do not take chloroquine as a preventive medicine »

Coumba Touré Kane is a full professor of microbiology, bacteriology and virology at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal. She is scientific director and responsible for the molecular biology platform at the Institute for Health Research, Epidemiological Surveillance and Training (IRESSEF). In this interview, she addresses the issue of coronavirus in Africa.

What about the spread of coronavirus currently in Senegal?

We are currently over 70 cases. But we have several patients who are cured, especially the first sick people. We have opened a new hospital for severe cases. We are in the process of opening other treatment centers across the country. For the diagnoses, there was only « Institut Pasteur » at the start. Now, we are opening other diagnostic centers, like the Research Center where I am working (IRESSEF), which will also be responsible for detecting coronavirus. We are also considering doing it in other centers across the country to speed up the delivery of results.

Is Africa doing what is right to counter this pandemic?

Each African country has a response plan, but the biggest problem we will face is supply. In Africa, we hardly produce. All the inputs we need to care for the sick come from elsewhere. If today we are out of inputs, how will we be able to cope with Covid19? African ingenuity must be tested now to find alternative solutions adapted to our context to deal with this scourge. If there are no more masks, what can we do in Africa? What types of respirators can we create? Our engineers need to think about this.

How to respect barrier gestures in Africa where people tend to live in groups?

Awareness needs to be raised. And it should not be done only in the official language, but in all of the languages spoken in the country. Community intermediaries must also be trained so that they explain preventive measures in comprehensive and clear terms to the populations, so that there will be real awareness.

Is the effectiveness of chloroquine proven today?

 We are in a period of health crisis and Professor Raoult’s study, which we salute and greatly respect, did not meet all the conditions required for a clinical trial. Efficacy has been proven in vitro at the laboratory level and in vivo after 6 days. However, before an international recommendation for this product can be made, the study should be restarted according to the rules of a clinical trial. That is, a randomized study where the doctor does not know what is given to the patient and where the patient does not know what is given to him. At the end, we will compare the results. If they confirm what Professor Raoult has already found, then we can make an international recommendation.

There have been reports of chloroquine poisoning in Nigeria …

We must avoid that people take chloroquine as a preventive cure, because it is a molecule that has many side effects. It should only be taken on medical prescription. If you have coronavirus and your doctor has deemed it necessary to take this molecule, and presents you the side effects and you agree to take it, he will prescribe it. You should also know that if coronavirus is diagnosed very early and if all the signs presented by the patient are taken care of, the patient can be cured.

What message can you address to Africans?

Africans should believe in this disease. It does exist. We can contain it, but on condition that we combine our efforts. I invite health actors to redouble their efforts, to raise awareness among the population and to optimally manage all pathologies including coronavirus.