© THE INTERCEPT
Those who cheered ivermectin as a Covid-19 treatment are now making unsubstantiated claims about its use against hantavirus.
Within days of reports of a rare Andes hantavirus outbreak, political figures and prominent Covid-era ivermectin advocates once again began promoting the drug as a potential treatment — even as infectious disease experts say there is no clinical evidence supporting its use against hantaviruses.
Former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X on Wednesday suggesting vitamin D, zinc, and ivermectin could prevent the rodent-borne disease. Ivermectin, an antiparasitic medication, surged in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic as vaccine skepticism rose. In another post, Greene shared a 2024 article about mRNA hantavirus vaccine research while claiming pharmaceutical companies “manipulate the virus (bioweapon)” and “make the vaccine (poison).”
Other high-profile ivermectin advocates also circulated claims online, including physician and activist Mary Talley Bowden, whose post about ivermectin and hantavirus was viewed millions of times on X, and commentator Josh Walkos, known online as “Champagne Joshi,” who shared posts questioning hantavirus vaccine development.
