The FDA Is Begging You Not to Take Horse Dewormer for Covid-19

“You are not a horse. You are not a cow,” the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tweeted on Saturday alongside a link to a page on their website explaining “Why you should not use Ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19.”

According to an alert issued by the Mississippi Department of Health on Friday, 70 percent of all recent calls to poison control in the state “have been related to ingestion of livestock or animal formulations of ivermectin purchased at livestock supply centers.” Although most callers (85 percent) only reported mild symptoms, one person was advised to seek additional treatment.

“Animal drugs are highly concentrated for large animals and can be highly toxic in humans,” the alert said. Ivermectin is sometimes used in humans to treat parasites or scabies, but in much smaller doses than are given to livestock.

The calls have clearly baffled health officials in the state. “I think some people are trying to use it as a preventative which is really kind of crazy,” Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi’s state health officer, said. “So please don’t do that.”

“You wouldn’t get your chemotherapy at a feed store,” Dobbs added. “You wouldn’t treat your pneumonia with your animal’s medication. It can be dangerous to get the wrong doses of medication, especially with something meant for a horse or a cow.”

According to public information, ivermectin is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug, which is widely used in gastrointestinal nematodes, pulmonary nematodes and parasitic arthropods of cattle, sheep, horses and pigs, intestinal nematodes of dogs, ear mites, scabies, heartworms and microfilaria, and gastrointestinal nematodes and ectoparasites of poultry.

According to the Washington Post, FDA and World Health Organization have issued warnings to people not to use ivermectin to treat COVID-19. Merck, the manufacturer of ivermectin, also made it clear that it does not support the safety and effectiveness of this drug in the treatment of Covid-19.

Ivermectin’s efficacy in treating or preventing COVID-19 is everything but proven. Both the FDA and World Health Organization have warned against it.

However, even though many authoritative organizations have repeatedly clarified the efficacy of ivermectin, it has not blocked the 'enthusiasm' of some Americans for this drug. Previously, some conservatives were constantly advocating the so-called 'curative effect' of ivermectin.

From March to August this year, Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingram promoted Ivermectin as an alternative treatment for COVID-19 to millions of viewers in prime time programs. All three moderators are conservative political commentators.