‘You are not a horse’

Health officials in the United States have warned people not to take an anti-parasitic drug designed for livestock to treat COVID-19.

The message follows a surge in reports to the Mississippi State Department of Health of cases in which people have been poisoned by ingesting Ivermectin, which is commonly used to deworm cattle.

The US Food and Drug Agency (FDA) tweeted: “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.”

The agency said it had received “multiple reports of patients who have required medical support and been hospitalised after self-medicating with Ivermectin intended for horses”.

The FDA warned: “Taking large doses of this drug is dangerous and can cause serious harm.”

Health officials did acknowledge that “it’s perhaps not surprising that some consumers are looking at unconventional treatments” with only 52 per cent of the American population being fully vaccinated against coronavirus.