{"id":1934432,"date":"2026-05-07T19:25:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1934432"},"modified":"2026-05-07T19:25:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:25:43","slug":"cranks-are-already-peddling-ivermectin-for-hantavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1934432","title":{"rendered":"Cranks Are Already Peddling Ivermectin for Hantavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ad59f357eda3fbe140680ecd99656347.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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In the wake of any major crisis these days, there\u2019ll be people looking to hawk their own particular agenda. Case in point, there are already people trying to claim that ivermectin\u2014an antiparasitic medication that some believe to be a miracle cure-all\u2014can solve the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak.<\/p>\n

Several people online, including well-known vaccine skeptics, are now pushing (and selling) the drug as a likely treatment for hantavirus. There is absolutely no evidence suggesting that ivermectin can treat the viral infection, however. It\u2019s the latest instance of the drug being touted as a panacea for all sorts of health conditions, including cancer.<\/p>\n

The ivermectin swindle<\/h2>\n

Ivermectin is a cheap and valuable antiparasitic that\u2019s been widely used for decades.<\/p>\n

Some research had suggested that it might also be effective against certain kinds of viruses, including the coronavirus that causes covid-19. That\u2019s why it was one of many existing drugs that was tested as a potential treatment for covid-19 early on in the pandemic. Higher-quality studies, however, failed to find any benefits from ivermectin, while positive studies were often flagged for major methodological flaws or potential fraud.<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot
A screenshot of Bowden\u2019s recent ivermectin post. \u00a9 Ed Cara, X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These failures didn\u2019t dissuade the drug\u2019s most ardent believers, however, who tended to be right-wing and\/or generally skeptical of mainstream medicine, particularly vaccines. Ironically enough, these people often also downplayed the pandemic\u2019s dangers and criticized the public health response to it. To this day, many have continued to push ivermectin as a revolutionary treatment for not only viral diseases like covid-19 but also cancer (again, with little supporting evidence). GOP lawmakers in some states have even passed laws or crafted bills to make ivermectin over-the-counter, citing these claims or the need for medical freedom.<\/p>\n

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The Truth About Ivermectin<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

That brings us to the latest bit of crankery.\u00a0On Wednesday, Mary Talley Bowden, a Texas-based doctor, claimed that since hantavirus is an RNA virus, \u201civermectin should work against it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowden is most famous for having opposed the covid-19 vaccine mandates during the pandemic and promoting the use of ivermectin for covid-19. She\u2019s also since argued that the covid-19 vaccines should be pulled from the market because they\u2019re unsafe and could cause cancer (another popular talking point among anti-vaccination advocates).<\/p>\n

In late 2021, she had her hospital privileges suspended by Houston Methodist Hospital for spreading covid-related misinformation (she later resigned). In 2025, following a lengthy process, the Texas Medical Board reprimanded Bowden for trying to treat a patient with ivermectin at a Fort Worth hospital without proper privileges. Bowden attempted to sue Houston Methodist Hospital for defamation over the public call-out, but the lawsuit was dismissed in 2023. She is still engaged in a lawsuit against the Texas Medical Board, which has garnered support from the current Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton.<\/p>\n

As mentioned earlier, there\u2019s absolutely no reason to believe that ivermectin would help treat hantavirus, especially given its clear failure against covid-19. Moreover, as concerning as this cruise ship outbreak is, the danger to the average person right now is slim to none (the particular species behind this outbreak can spread between people, but not easily, it seems).<\/p>\n

Bowden isn\u2019t the only person backing ivermectin for hantavirus, but she might be the first trying to make a buck off it. Texas is one of the states that now allows over-the-counter ivermectin. On Thursday, she made another social media post offering ivermectin to any willing Texans for as low as $85 for a 100-pack. What a bargain for a perfectly useless placebo at best.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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In the wake of any major crisis these days, there\u2019ll be people looking to hawk their own particular agenda. Case in point, there are already people trying to claim that ivermectin\u2014an antiparasitic medication that some believe to be a miracle cure-all\u2014can solve the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak.<\/p>\n

Several people online, including well-known vaccine skeptics, are now pushing (and selling) the drug as a likely treatment for hantavirus. There is absolutely no evidence suggesting that ivermectin can treat the viral infection, however. It\u2019s the latest instance of the drug being touted as a panacea for all sorts of health conditions, including cancer.<\/p>\n

The ivermectin swindle<\/h2>\n

Ivermectin is a cheap and valuable antiparasitic that\u2019s been widely used for decades.<\/p>\n

Some research had suggested that it might also be effective against certain kinds of viruses, including the coronavirus that causes covid-19. That\u2019s why it was one of many existing drugs that was tested as a potential treatment for covid-19 early on in the pandemic. Higher-quality studies, however, failed to find any benefits from ivermectin, while positive studies were often flagged for major methodological flaws or potential fraud.<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot
A screenshot of Bowden\u2019s recent ivermectin post. \u00a9 Ed Cara, X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These failures didn\u2019t dissuade the drug\u2019s most ardent believers, however, who tended to be right-wing and\/or generally skeptical of mainstream medicine, particularly vaccines. Ironically enough, these people often also downplayed the pandemic\u2019s dangers and criticized the public health response to it. To this day, many have continued to push ivermectin as a revolutionary treatment for not only viral diseases like covid-19 but also cancer (again, with little supporting evidence). GOP lawmakers in some states have even passed laws or crafted bills to make ivermectin over-the-counter, citing these claims or the need for medical freedom.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

The Truth About Ivermectin<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

That brings us to the latest bit of crankery.\u00a0On Wednesday, Mary Talley Bowden, a Texas-based doctor, claimed that since hantavirus is an RNA virus, \u201civermectin should work against it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowden is most famous for having opposed the covid-19 vaccine mandates during the pandemic and promoting the use of ivermectin for covid-19. She\u2019s also since argued that the covid-19 vaccines should be pulled from the market because they\u2019re unsafe and could cause cancer (another popular talking point among anti-vaccination advocates).<\/p>\n

In late 2021, she had her hospital privileges suspended by Houston Methodist Hospital for spreading covid-related misinformation (she later resigned). In 2025, following a lengthy process, the Texas Medical Board reprimanded Bowden for trying to treat a patient with ivermectin at a Fort Worth hospital without proper privileges. Bowden attempted to sue Houston Methodist Hospital for defamation over the public call-out, but the lawsuit was dismissed in 2023. She is still engaged in a lawsuit against the Texas Medical Board, which has garnered support from the current Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton.<\/p>\n

As mentioned earlier, there\u2019s absolutely no reason to believe that ivermectin would help treat hantavirus, especially given its clear failure against covid-19. Moreover, as concerning as this cruise ship outbreak is, the danger to the average person right now is slim to none (the particular species behind this outbreak can spread between people, but not easily, it seems).<\/p>\n

Bowden isn\u2019t the only person backing ivermectin for hantavirus, but she might be the first trying to make a buck off it. Texas is one of the states that now allows over-the-counter ivermectin. On Thursday, she made another social media post offering ivermectin to any willing Texans for as low as $85 for a 100-pack. What a bargain for a perfectly useless placebo at best.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ad59f357eda3fbe140680ecd99656347.jpg”] In the wake of any major crisis these days, there\u2019ll be people looking to hawk their own particular agenda. Case in point, there are already people trying to claim that ivermectin\u2014an antiparasitic medication that some believe to be a miracle cure-all\u2014can solve the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak. Several people online, including well-known […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,53],"class_list":["post-1934432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-gizmodo-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1934432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1934432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1934432\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1934432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1934432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1934432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}