Would You Try It ? Better Than Bleach I Suppose.

[Canary42]

During a pandemic is it right to risk partially untried drugs. Some South African doctors believe that Ivermectin is a treatment for Covid-19 (with anecdotal evidence to support their case apparently). It is primarily a drug for treating parasites in animals, but in the case of humans, WHO do approve it for treating River Sickness.

Would you be prepared to try it ? (Note, it's a treatment for Covid sufferers, not a vaccine)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-56526632

[Sqad]

If I lived in a country where medical care was either rudimentary or non existent, where the disease was spreading and my condition was deteriorating, then I would try the drug based on anecdotal evidence.
Side effects would not be an issue in such circumstances.

[Mamyalynne]

Agree with Sqad here, either mend it or end it.

[AuntPollyGrey]

Could it not be that these Third World patients already had a heavy worm burden, compromising their immune response. When dewormed it allowed their body to recover more quickly?

[pastafreak]

There are plenty of situations where drugs developed for one condition work brilliantly for something completely different...so why not?

[Canary42]

Good point APG.

I do tend to agree with the others - why not indeed ?

[woofgang]

If it was that or die then maybe..... but if it wasn't end it or mend it I'd want to know if there was any kind of basis for their belief....how/why it might work.

[woofgang]

intersting....its not anecdotal. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7521351/

[Canary42]

Thanks for that wolfgang, an interesting paper indeed, although I struggled a bit to understand it in places! Seems the jury is still out, but there are possibilities.

[237SJ]

If I lived in South Africa I`d probably be glad of anything I could get

[AuntPollyGrey]

My sister lived and worked in Durban in the '80's. She was horrified that it was normal for people to deworm themselves every few months. It was bought from the chemist and I think if I recall it was a drink you prepared and consumed before a meal.

[237SJ]

I`ve had to deworm myself with Mebendazole quite a few times over the years. A hazard of travel unfortunately