Mississippi health officials warn residents against using ivermectin, a drug against deworming horses, to treat COVID-19 infections at home amid rising poisoning calls at the Mississippi Poison Control Center .
The Mississippi Department of Health sent a letter on Friday, on the MS Health Alert Network, warning health professionals of the increase in poisonings of people digesting ivermectin.
“At least 70% of recent calls have been related to the ingestion of livestock or animal formulations of ivermectin purchased at livestock supply centers,” the letter said.
One person was only told to ask for more help because of the amount of ivermectin ingested and 85% of those who called had mild symptoms.
Some of the symptoms that people may experience are rashes, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, neurological disorders, and sometimes severe hepatitis.
There have not yet been hospitalizations in the department of someone taking ingest ivermectin to cure coronavirus.
“Animal drugs are highly concentrated in large animals and can be highly toxic to humans,” said the letter signed by state epidemiologist Paul Byers. “Patients should be advised not to take any medication intended for the treatment of animals and should be instructed to take only ivermectin as prescribed by their doctor.”
The increase in ivermectin use comes as Mississippi is struggling to cope with the rise in coronavirus cases, as the state has the second lowest vaccination rate in the United States