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Two deaths in New Mexico have been linked to people taking ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasitic infections in horses and other animals that has been misused by some who believe it is ‘effective treatment for Covid-19 after falling into a wave of disinformation.
Officials from the state’s health department announced the deaths during a press briefing on September 22. The two who died were among 14 people hospitalized after taking the animal medicine.
Ivermectin was spurred on by podcast host Joe Rogan and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of ivermectin in humans at specific doses to treat intestinal parasites, but the drug is not intended for use to treat viruses.
The acting head of the state’s health department, Dr David Scrase, said during the briefing that the two who died were 38 and 79 years old and had both been infected with Covid-19 and took it upon themselves to treat the disease with ivermectin, with one of the people suffering from kidney failure as a result.
“This is not the right medicine for something really serious,” said Dr Scrase The New York Times.
The FDA has warned against using the drug as prescriptions have increased, with some purchasing the animal version of the drug but using it for themselves.
“The FDA has received several reports of patients who required medical support and were hospitalized after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for horses,” the agency said on its website.
“Animal drugs are often very concentrated because they are used for large animals like horses and cows, which can weigh much more than us – a ton or more. Such high doses can be highly toxic in humans.
As of September 20, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported 1,440 cases of ivermectin poisoning in 2021, more than three times the amount during the same periods in 2019 and 2020.
Most of the reports came as more people wanted prescriptions for the drug, as misinformation spread the misconception that ivermectin would be a good treatment for Covid-19.
Poison control centers across the United States are reporting a large number of calls about the drug. Mississippi health officials said last month that 70% of calls in the state were for ivermectin. Oregon saw 25 people report being poisoned by the drug between August 1 and September 14, according to Oregon Health & Science University.
Of the 25, five were taken to hospital and two received intensive care.
New Mexico’s poison control centers have received 24 calls regarding ivermectin since November 2020, compared with two calls between January and November 2019, according to state health officials.
New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center director Dr Susan Smolinske said about half of those who had been poisoned with ivermectin this year had taken the drug to treat Covid- 19.
Dr Smolinske added that in previous years most reports have been of children accidentally taking chewable ivermectin tablets intended for dogs, but his center has seen more cases of people taking highly concentrated forms of the drug. medicine intended for larger animals such as horses and cows.
“Most of our cases are with the horse, dewormer or pourable product, so they are very concentrated compared to these tablets for dogs,” she said. The New York Times.
She said the drug, if misused, can cause drowsiness, dizziness, tremors or coma.
“It gets into the brain, and if you take a high enough dose, it has a hard time getting out of the brain,” she added.
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