Well being Division: Cease Utilizing Veterinary Medicines To Deal with COVID | Mississippi Information

By Mitchel Last updated Aug 23, 2021

JACKSON, miss. (AP) – Mississippi Poison Control officials say they have received an influx of calls from people trying to treat COVID-19 with anti-parasitic drugs bought in cattle shops.

At least 70% of recent calls to the Mississippi Poison Control Center were related to the ingestion of livestock or animal formulations of ivermectin purchased at livestock supply centers, Mississippi Department of Health officials said.

Some of the symptoms associated with ivermectin toxicity include rash, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, neurological disorders, and potentially severe hepatitis requiring hospitalization.

No hospital stays were reported. Most of the callers – 85% – had mild symptoms, according to the Ministry of Health. A person was advised to see a doctor because of the high dosage they allegedly took.

“Patients should be instructed not to take medication to treat animals and should be instructed to only take ivermectin as directed by a doctor,” wrote state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers in a memo on Friday. “Animal medicines are highly concentrated for large animals and can be highly toxic for humans.”

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There are US Food and Drug Administration approved uses for ivermectin in both humans and animals. Ivermectin tablets are approved in very specific doses for some parasitic worms, and topical formulations exist for head lice and skin conditions.

Ivermectin is not a drug used to treat viruses. The federal government has not approved ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 in humans.