Image by Antonio Grosz via Unsplash/Tony Tran Developments
The US Health Department has issued a shocking warning: Do not take any medicine for COVID-19 treatment or prevention.
According to CNN, the Mississippi Department of Health issued an official health alert Friday saying that it has received a flood of poison control calls from residents who have ingested a drug intended for livestock. This drug, known as ivermectin, is used to prevent parasites from horses and cows.
According to the health alert, Mississippi Poison Control Center is receiving an increasing number of calls from people who may have been exposed to ivermectin in order prevent or treat COVID-19. The majority of recent calls relate to the ingestion of animal or animal formulations containing ivermectin bought at livestock supply centres.
Ivermectin is a treatment for parasitic roundworm infection in both humans and animals. There is no evidence that it treats COVID-19. It has not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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It should be noted that the doses of ivermectin for livestock treatment are very different from those used for humans. According to the alert, this is extremely toxic and can cause severe hepatitis, which may require hospitalization.
Mississippi has yet to see a patient hospitalized for ivermectin poisoning. One person was however instructed to seek further treatment due to the alleged ingestion of ivermectin.
Since then, the FDA has issued a warning about the dangers of using this drug. The FDA stated in a tweet that they are not horses. You are not a cow. Seriously, yall. Stop.
You are not a horse. You are not a horse. You're not a cow, you guys. Stop it. https://t.co/TWb75xYEY4 U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) August 21, 2021
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All this is happening against the backdrop of an astronomical increase in COVID-18 deaths and cases in the Magnolia State. According to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, the state has experienced a record number of cases and one of the lowest vaccination rates in America over the past month.
Combine that with misinformation about remedies and preventions, and you get the recipe for the current situation.
