Province warns Manitobans not to use ivermectin to treat COVID

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This article was published 09/09/2021 (1501 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE head of the province’s vaccine task force is warning Manitobans not to take an anti-parasitic drug used in livestock to treat COVID-19.

In a bulletin Thursday, Dr. Joss Reimer warned that taking ivermectin could be deadly.

“Taking ivermectin without a doctor’s supervision can have serious, even fatal, consequences. Never use medications intended for animals on yourself or other people,” she wrote in a section of the bulletin titled “myths and facts”.

“Animal ivermectin products are very different from those approved for humans. Use of animal ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans is dangerous.”

The use of the de-worming drug as a treatment for COVID-19 or an alternative to vaccination has garnered attention, in part through popular public figures like U.S. podcast host Joe Rogan, who said he was cured of the virus, in part, by taking ivermectin. Peddling the drug has also been popular with right-wing conspiracy theorists.

While ivermectin is typically a veterinary drug, there is also a version for humans meant to treat parasitic worm infections. Ivermectin products meant for animals are typically sold at a much higher dosage, meaning people looking to self-medicate with versions of the drug found at farm supply stores may experience severe side-effects ranging from nausea and vomiting to seizures or death.

The form of the drug designed for humans has helped eradicate diseases caused by parasites across the world. Its developers won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015.

However, COVID-19 is a virus, not a parasite, and studies into whether the anti-parasitic drug could treat a virus have been roundly debunked by federal health agencies across North America and beyond.