South African Ivermectin medics using unproven worm drug to treat Covid-19

South African Ivermectin medics using unproven worm drug to treat Covid-19

By Onlykhabar News Media Sat 27 March, 2021 ( about 5 years ago ) 🎤548 Viewershealth

The drug Ivermectin, which has been touted by some as an effective coronavirus treatment even though it is clinically unproven.

Many South Africans are desperate for something that could ease the impact of a predicted third wave of coronavirus infections. There are concerns that the continent's worst-hit country could suffer more as the temperature cools down with the approaching winter. With a vaccination programme that has not yet covered all the most vulnerable. More than 52,000 people have died with coronavirus and though new infections are now low, they are not disappearing. However, South Africa's medical regulator, the drug's manufacturer and some of the country's most eminent scientists have all warned against using it to treat coronavirus.

It is in this context that Ivermectin - a drug that is used to treat parasitic worms - has gained a lot of attention. Some doctors have been prescribing it to patients with coronavirus, saying that they have seen anecdotal evidence that it can alleviate some of the worst effects of Covid-19. The pill is currently not licensed for human use by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra), it is only registered to treat parasites in animals. 

Before the link to coronavirus was made, 10 Ivermectin pills would cost about $4 (£2.90) - the price has now increased 15-fold for the same packet. But the use of Ivermectin for coronavirus treatment has divided opinion in the country. Prof Nathi Mdladla, the head of the intensive care unit at Durban's George Mukhari Academic Hospital, is one of a handful of doctors who have been calling for the use of Ivermectin in desperate cases. "People were dying and doctors were looking at many treatment options to try and save lives. Ivermectin was one of the drugs doctors repurposed."

But it was not until the second wave late last year that the authorities got wind of this and clamped down on its use, forcing doctors who had been prescribing it to stop, fearing sanctions from the authorities, Dr Mdladla added.  Doctors advocating for it to be allowed locally in the treatment of coronavirus say that the medicine poses no major safety concerns. Some common side effects include dizziness, nausea, diarrhoea, stomach pain, nausea and skin rash, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.  In South Africa it has been used on animals, but has only been recommended for human use by the World Health Organization to treat river blindness.

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By Onlykhabar News Media Sat 27 March, 2021 🎤548 Viewershealth
TAGS: South Africa Ivermectin Vaccin Corona
South African Ivermectin medics using unproven worm drug to treat Covid-19

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