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As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, health services are warning Americans to avoid taking ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasites in humans and deworm livestock, as a treatment or preventative of the coronavirus.
“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, all of you. Stop it, ”the Food and Drug Administration tweeted on Saturday.
On Monday, the Mississippi State Department of Health issued a warning that cattle ivermectin was dangerous to humans, saying “the poison control center has received reports of at least two people hospitalized for potential ivermectin toxicity after ingesting ivermectin from cattle “. The state has faced some of the highest rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and death in the country as well as one of the lowest vaccination rates.
“I think some people try to use it as [COVID-19] preventative, which I think is really a bit crazy, so please don’t do that, ”Dr Thomas Dobbs, the state’s top health official, said in a briefing last week.
“You wouldn’t get your chemotherapy from a grocery store. I mean, you wouldn’t treat your pneumonia with your pet’s medication, ”he added. “It can be dangerous to take the wrong doses of medication, especially for something that is intended for a horse or a cow.”
The FDA first warned of the drug in April 2020, with the director of the organization’s Center for Veterinary Medicine saying the group was “concerned about the health of consumers who can self-medicate by taking the products. based on ivermectin intended for animals, believing that they may be a substitute for ivermectin intended for humans.
In February, the National Institutes of Health said there was not enough evidence to support or oppose the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19. In March, a randomized study published in the medical journal JAMA found that the drug did not speed recovery from the disease. That same month, the FDA released an explanation as to why the drug shouldn’t be used to treat or prevent COVID-19.
“There is a lot of misinformation around, and you may have heard that it is normal to take high doses of ivermectin,” the agency said. “This is not true. Even ivermectin levels for approved uses can interact with other drugs, such as blood thinners. You can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death.
In July, a study often cited by promoters of the drug was withdrawn due to “ethical concerns.” According to the Guardian, “the introductory section of the document appeared to have been almost entirely plagiarized” and “the raw data apparently [contradicted] the study protocol several times.
Echoing the promotion of hydroxychloroquine last year, conservative media figures such as Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham – who first promoted ivermectin on it Twitter feed in May 2020 – mentioned the drug as a potential against COVID-19.
Last week, Fox News guest host Will Cain said the drug was one of “many, many promising treatments that can save lives” but that it “has faded from the conversation. public health, “adding that” more studies need to be done “to prove its effectiveness.
There are also many Facebook groups, public and private, promoting the drug.
“It saved my wife’s life, it cleaned my lungs of Covid,” one read on Facebook in a group called “The People’s Medicine: Ivermectin; Safe Effective Economical ”, which has 16,000 members. ” Without side effects ! The problem is, people don’t get treated with ivermectin because insurance companies don’t pay huge sums of money if a patient is cured with an expensive alternative, ”the post said.
“I’m going to take Facebook jail,” read another post on Tuesday, “But I’ll say it !!! We are witnessing mass murders in our medical facilities !!! Refuse A Safe Cure For Covid-19 Because There Is No Insurance Payout! THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE ASHAMED! IT’S SICK! “
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