The Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 has cautioned people against using Ivermectin drug as a treatment for Covid-19 patients and those showing symptoms for the coronavirus. 

The warning comes few days after the Taskforce also warned the use of herbal concoctions as COVID-19 treatment.

According to the Taskforce`s co-chairperson Dr John Phuka, it is both illegal and unethical to sell and use the said drug with medical prescription.

“I want to speak directly to ivermectin because I have seen people that are showing prescription of this, just I have said, you need a medical prescription for this drug.

“And those that are selling this [ivermectin] to human beings it’s very clear that they are doing it against regulations and rules of this country and if you are traced and found to be doing this, clearly this is a wrong doing,” said Dr Phuka.

He added that there is currently no scientific evidence backing ivermectin that it works in human bodies for coronavirus medication.

“As far as we know, there are no known studies that have shown this far that indeed it [ivermectin] works in human bodies for treatment.

“We do know that it works elsewhere, but at present it’s not authorized,” said Dr Phuka.

Wikipedia defines ivermectin as a medication used to treat many types of parasite infestations used to treat many types of parasite infections. And in veterinary medicine, it is used to prevent and treat heartworm, among other indications.

Recently, South Africa approved ivermectin to treat coronavirus patients.