Health officials are urging people not to believe rumors that taking a common livestock medicine can prevent or treat Covid-19 in humans.
If you’ve got livestock, you may be familiar with the drug ivermectin, which is used to treat parasitic worms in horses and cattle. But in at least two states, and maybe more, “People are promulgating the idea that ivermectin is either a prevention or treatment for Covid-19,” says Dr. Fred Gerr, Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa.
“There is absolutely no evidence that ivermectin is beneficial for COVID-19 prevention or treatment.”
In fact, using it is dangerous. People are overdosing on this animal drug.
Gerr says right now, “The single most common telephone call to the poison control center in Louisiana is for ivermectin overdose.”
This is also the case in Mississippi.
So, if you’re thinking about taking ivermectin to treat or prevent Covid-19, Dr. Gerr says emphatically, “Don’t do it!”
Source: USDA News Service