Mississippi health officials are pleading with residents not to take a medicine meant for cows and horses as an alternative to getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
In a state with the nation’s second lowest rate of vaccination against the coronavirus, a jump in the number of calls to poison control prompted an alert Friday from the Mississippi State Department of Health about ingesting the drug ivermectin. The department said that at least 70% of recent calls to the state poison control center were related to people who ingested a version of the drug that is formulated to treat parasites in cows and horses.
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Ingesting the drug can lead to a rash, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, neurologic disorders and potentially severe hepatitis requiring
Mississippi health officials are pleading with residents not to take a medicine meant for cows and horses as an alternative to getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
In a state with the nation’s second lowest rate of vaccination against the coronavirus, a jump in the number of calls to poison control prompted an alert Friday from the Mississippi State Department of Health about ingesting the drug ivermectin. The department said that at least 70% of recent calls to the state poison control center were related to people who ingested a version of the drug that is formulated to treat parasites in cows and horses.
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Ingesting the drug can lead to a rash, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, neurologic disorders and potentially severe hepatitis requiring hospitalization, according to the alert written by Dr. Paul Byers, the state’s top epidemiologist.
Byers said that 85% of the people calling after using ivermectin had mild symptoms, but at least one person has been hospitalized due to ivermectin toxicity, according to the Mississippi Free Press.
The FDA is also urging people to stop
Ivermectin is sometimes prescribed to people for head lice or skin conditions, but the formulas are different for humans and animals.
“Animal drugs are highly concentrated for large animals and can be highly toxic in humans,” Byers wrote in the alert.
Given that cows and horses can easily weigh more than 1,000 pounds, and sometimes more than a ton, the amount of ivermectin meant for livestock would not be suitable for a human who weighs a fraction of that.
The Food and Drug Administration has also weighed in, writing in a tweet this weekend, “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.”
, according to the alert written by Dr. Paul Byers, the state’s top epidemiologist.
Byers said that 85% of the people calling after using ivermectin had mild symptoms, but at least one person has been hospitalized due to ivermectin toxicity, according to the Mississippi Free Press.
The FDA is also urging people to stop
Ivermectin is sometimes prescribed to people for head lice or skin conditions, but the formulas are different for humans and animals.
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“Animal drugs are highly concentrated for large animals and can be highly toxic in humans,” Byers wrote in the alert.
Given that cows and horses can easily weigh more than 1,000 pounds, and sometimes more than a ton, the amount of ivermectin meant for livestock would not be suitable for a human who weighs a fraction of that.
The Food and Drug Administration has also weighed in, writing in a tweet this weekend, “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.”
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