The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Iheakweazu, has given explanation to the claim making the rounds that COVID-19 and Malaria are similar.
The DG while speaking at the daily COVID-19 press briefing in Abuja, said coronavirus is completely different from Malaria because the former was a virus while the latter is caused by a parasite.
Iheakweazu, however, stated that most illnesses show the same symptoms at an early stage.
He also stressed that a patient can be infected with both Malaria and COVID-19 at the same time.
He said: ”I think we all know COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a virus, Malaria is caused by a parasite. They are completely different diseases.
“However, many diseases present exactly the same way in the beginning, Yellow fever presents the same way with fever at the beginning, Lassa the same way, malaria the same way.
“So, the initial presentation of a febrile illness is similar across diseases”.