THE call for the Government to turn to Ivermectin to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients has grown louder as of late, with Miri MP Dr Michael Teo recently testifying that he knows of affected people whose condition had improved after taking the controversial drug.
In an interview with online news portal The Vibes, Teo said that these patients in Sarawak not only made a full recovery, but their healing happened rather quickly as well.
“I can say from personal experience, based on my real-life encounters with COVID-19 patients, that Ivermectin works,” he said.
Urging the Government to start using Ivermectin in its war against the pandemic, Teo said that as a medical doctor himself, he dares say that the drug is safe for use against COVID-19.
According to Teo, the effectiveness of the drug has also been documented in other countries with large populations scattered over vast areas, especially India.
“It is a fact that in India, Ivermectin has been proven very useful against COVID-19.
“For example, in New Delhi, the death rate dropped from a peak of 400 daily to four in only two months following the widespread use of Ivermectin. It was the same in Tamil Nadu and Goa.
“Throughout India, we can see a steep reduction in new cases after Ivermectin is used.”
It is, however, important to point out that Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba had previously insisted that sufficient clinical data is not yet available to prove the efficacy of Ivermectin.
According to the Health Ministry, Ivermectin has not been approved for use as a treatment for or prevention of COVID-19 infection in Malaysia.
This is despite reports of the drug being sold illegally in the country.
In fact, here’s another reason why one should not use Ivermectin without in-depth studies and improper dosages – two cases of poisoning involving the use of Ivermectin have been reported by the National Poison Centre today (Aug 14).
The two cases involved a senior citizen and a 35-year-old individual, said the ministry in a statement on its official Facebook page.
“The 35-year-old reportedly took one Ivermectin tablet and had shortness of breath for five days after taking it.
“The senior citizen was found unconscious after allegedly taking 15 Ivermectin tablets at one go,” the statement read.
Ivermectin can cause adverse effects such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and dizziness,” said the Health Ministry, adding that the worst side effects of the drug were shortness of breath, lung damage and even death.
There was, unfortunately, no specific antidote or treatment for cases of poisoning caused by Ivermectin.
On June 5, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was reported as saying that the Ministry and the Institute for Clinical Research (ICR) had started clinical trials to study the use and efficacy of Ivermectin for high-risk COVID-19 patients at 12 hospitals under the ministry.
He also said that Ivermectin is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved anti-parasitic drug widely used for treating several neglected tropical diseases, including onchocerciasis, strongyloidiasis and helminthiases.
However, the evidence is inconclusive to recommend routine use of Ivermectin for COVID-19 patients, he added. – Aug 14, 2021
