Fears over possible coronavirus infection have driven some people to desperate and unsafe practices.
Pet shop and aquatic supply stores report customers inquiring about chloroquine phosphate, after President Trump suggested the anti-malaria drug cholorquine could be used to treat COVID-19.
“That is definitely a terrible idea," says Terry Squires, of Portland's Seahorse Aquarium and Supply.
"Chloroquine phosphate is a chemical or compound that’s been used in the aquarium trade since the 1980s, we kinda use it for common fish diseases like ich, which is a protozoan disease, as well as for algae outbreaks, in affected tanks.
"It’s a pretty serious compound, very powerful. This is a compound that should not be ingested for human consumption.”
In Arizona, an elderly man died and his wife ended up in intensive careafter ingesting chloroquine phosphate.
Federal health officials say more research needs to be done to assess chloroquine’s possible use in this pandemic.
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