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'You are not a cow, You are not a horse': FDA warns against using ‘animal drug’ ivermectin to treat COVID-19

WION Web Team
New DelhiUpdated: Aug 23, 2021, 06:12 PM IST
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Photograph:(Twitter)

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The American agency was reacting to reports from the Mississippi Start Department of Health that people have been poisoned by consuming ivermectin drugs, commonly used to de-worm cattle.

The US Food and Drug Agency (FDA) has issued a warning to people who are self-medicating with ivermectin tablets to treat COVID-19 symptoms, saying that it has not authorised the use of drugs for treating the infection as it is “intended to treat livestock.”

The agency was reacting to reports from the Mississippi Start Department of Health that people have been poisoned by consuming ivermectin drugs, commonly used to de-worm cattle.

“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it,” the FDA tweeted, adding, “It’s perhaps not surprising that some consumers are looking at unconventional treatments” in a state where only 37% of the population is fully vaccinated.

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Mississippi’s health department issued a warning that over 70 per cent of the recent calls to the poison department were from people who took Ivermectin bought at livestock supply centres, Bloomberg reported.

“These animal drugs are often highly concentrated because they are used for large animals like horses and cows, which can weigh a lot more than a human,” the FDA said in a statement.

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“Such high doses can be highly toxic in humans.” It added.

According to the FDA, patients who overdose with ivermectin can experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, low blood pressure, allergic reactions, dizziness, problems with balance, seizures, coma and even death.

(With inputs from agencies)