The Marathon County Health Department is starting to receive reports of people taking Ivermectin to treat COVID-19.
Aaron Ruff with the Marathon County Health Department says that's not something you should consider.
“We just want to remind the public that Ivermectin has not been approved or authorized for COVID treatment.”
Ruff says if people are being told to try the drug, it's not from a doctor or licensed healthcare professional.
“The CDC has sent health advisories out to physicians and health care systems that Ivermectin is not to be used for COVID-19 treatment or prevention.”
Ruff says there are times when you should take the medication, but that's only in certain circumstances and only by prescription.
“But again, it’s only under circumstances where it’s prescribed correctly by a physician typically to treat parasites such as worms and lice in humans.”
Ruff says if you believe you have COVID-19, reach out to your primary care provider and do your part to stop the spread.
“Please seek medical attention if you are severely ill. As part of the whole stop the spread piece of this pandemic, if you are positive, we want you to isolate yourself for up to ten days.”
The Marathon County Health Department says there are certain clinical trials that relate to COVID-19 treatments, but none of them have enough data to recommend the use of Ivermectin or any other drug for treatment of the disease outside a controlled clinical setting.
