Amid Hantavirus Panic, the Ivermectin Super Fans Are Back

Key Points:

• Following reports of a rare Andes hantavirus outbreak, political figures and prominent ivermectin advocates, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, have promoted ivermectin as a potential treatment despite no clinical evidence supporting its use against hantaviruses.
• Andes hantavirus, primarily found in South America, can cause severe respiratory illness with high mortality rates but requires close contact to spread; recent cases have been linked to international travelers on a cruise ship.
• Infectious disease experts emphasize that ivermectin has no proven efficacy against hantaviruses, with ribavirin being the only antiviral evaluated clinically, and warn that improper ivermectin use can cause serious side effects.
• Distrust in public health institutions stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic continues to fuel skepticism and the spread of unsupported medical claims online, complicating public health communication during new outbreaks.
• The Department of Health and Human Services and CDC have not addressed ivermectin claims related to hantavirus, while restructuring under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has affected federal health programs, though some cuts have been reversed amid the outbreak.