The US Food and Drug Administration said it has not approved Ivermectin to treat or preventing Covid-19 in humans as it is not a drug for treating viruses. The FDA was quoted as saying by Bloomberg on Saturday “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it,”.
Mississippi’s health department issued a warning that over 70 % of the recent calls to the poison centre came after people took Ivermectin bought at livestock supply centres, Bloomberg further reported.
The government body was sharply reacting towards the use of Ivermectin in Mississippi, the state worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic across the United States. Several people were found using the drug to cure the viral disease.
Ivermectin is also used in animals such as horses and cows to prevent heartworm disease and specific internal and external parasites. It is important to note that Ivermectin used for treating animals is different when compared to using the drug for treating human beings.
The FDA said “Animal drugs are often highly concentrated because they are used for large animals like horses and cows, which can weigh a lot more than we do a ton or more. Such high doses can be highly toxic in humans”.
Mississippi’s poison control centre has been seeing a rapid rise in calls where people have consumed Ivermectin- meant for treating animals, to treat the coronavirus disease.
The health department said that 85 % of the callers who took the drug had mild symptoms but one person was “was instructed to seek further evaluation due to the amount of Ivermectin reportedly ingested.”
Mississippi, has the highest state from Covid-19 acros“The Mississippi Poison Control Center has received increased calls due to livestock or animal formulations of ivermectin taken to prevent or treat Covid-19 infection.
The United States, also has one of the lowest rates of vaccination. According to news the state has been seeing a record surge in cases and hospitalizations. The vaccination drive has picked up some speed in the state, only 45.1 % of the population has received the first vaccine dose compared to the national average of 60.5%.
