River blindness: impact and transmission

This episode is all about ivermectin - which truly is a wonder drug! A veritable miracle cure.

For, ahem, river blindness. And for some other parasitic diseases, like hookworm. Mostly in animals.

But in the US, you have likely heard of ivermectin not as a treatment for parasites but for different purposes altogether. There are thousands of videos on YouTube and Instagram extolling ivermectin for viral diseases like Covid, various cancers, and for something called a “parasitic detox,” or a “parasitic cleanse.”

Really? This one drug does all that?

No. It does not.

In this episode of Drug Story, we tell the tale of ivermectin, and what gets all those people on TikTok raving about this drug - what they hope it could be, what they believe it works on.

And then, with an open mind, we go to the science – to tease apart the true miracles from the mere fantasies.

Source for this episode:

[1] Dirt Eaters (2006) NCpedia: Hookworm spreads through skin contact with contaminated soil, with infection linked to poor sanitation and barefoot exposure.

[2] What Would It Take to Describe the Global Diversity of Parasites? (2020) Proceedings B (Royal Society): Discussion of parasite diversity and implications for global health.

[3] Charles Wardell Stiles (n.d.) The Online Collection and Catalog of Rockefeller Archive Center: Stiles identified hookworm as a widespread cause of disease in the American South and helped initiate national eradication efforts.

[4] The Great Hookworm Crusade (1978) Facing South: Exploration of early 20th-century public health campaigns targeting hookworm.

[5] The Germ of Laziness: Rockefeller Philanthropy and Public Health in the New South (2007): Analysis of the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission’s hookworm eradication campaign and its role in shaping public health systems.

[6] How a Worm Gave the South a Bad Name (2016) NOVA (PBS): Hookworm caused anemia, fatigue, and cognitive impairment, contributing to stereotypes of laziness in the American South

[7] Lessons Learned (2016) Vanderbilt University: Hookworm campaigns demonstrated the importance of sanitation, education, and coordinated public health infrastructure.

[8] Public Health: How the Fight Against Hookworm Helped Build a System (2020) REsource: Early hookworm eradication efforts contributed to the formation of organized public health systems in the U.S.

[8] Dr. Abbott Assails “Freedom” League (1910) The New York Times: Physicians publicly criticized groups opposing national health initiatives during early 20th-century reforms.

[10] America’s Deadly Flirtation with Antiscience and the Medical Freedom Movement (2021) Journal of Clinical Investigation: Historical medical freedom movements mirror modern resistance to public health guidance.

[11] The Hookworm Blues: We Still Got ’Em (2017) American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene: Hookworm infection remains present in parts of the U.S., particularly in areas with inadequate sanitation and persistent poverty.

[12] The American Murderer (2023) Bunk History: Hookworm campaigns in the U.S. South prioritized poor white populations to address labor productivity and regional stigma, while excluding Black communities from interventions.

[13] The Debate Is On: To Deworm Or Not To Deworm? (2015) NPR Goats and Soda: Mass deworming programs reduce worm infections and may improve school attendance, though evidence on long-term health and economic benefits remains debated.

[14] Hookworm Persists in U.S. Despite Belief That It Was Wiped Out (2017) NPR: Ongoing hookworm cases in Alabama are linked to failing wastewater systems and persistent poverty.

[15] Nobel laureate William Campbell describes developing a new drug to Cornell audience (2016) Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: Overview of the discovery of ivermectin and its development as a breakthrough antiparasitic drug.

[16] Progress and Impact of 13 Years of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (2014) PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases: Mass drug administration programs using ivermectin significantly reduced transmission of filarial diseases worldwide.

[17] The Discovery of Ivermectin: A Crapshoot or Not (2007) Cambridge University Press: Ivermectin originated from screening soil microbes, with discovery driven by trial-and-error experimentation.

[18] The Life and Times of Ivermectin — A Success Story (2004) Nature Reviews Microbiology: Ivermectin disrupts parasite nerve and muscle function, supporting mass drug administration campaigns that significantly reduced global parasitic disease burden.

[19] Two Elite Medical Journals Retract Coronavirus Papers (2020) Science: Retractions of major COVID-19 studies exposed weaknesses in peer review and data verification.

[20] Medical Liberty and Drugless Healers Confront Allopathic Doctors (1910–1931) (2008) Journal of Medical Humanities: Early 20th-century conflicts between alternative practitioners and mainstream medicine centered on regulation and authority.

[21] Ivermectin and COVID-19: How a Flawed Database Shaped Pandemic Response (2020) ISGlobal: Policy decisions in several countries relied on unreliable ivermectin data.

[22] A Mysterious Company’s Coronavirus Papers May Be Unraveling (2020) Science: Surgisphere data was used in major studies before being discredited, leading to retractions.

[23] How the Ivermectin Culture Wars Took Off (2021) NPR: Ivermectin became a symbol in broader political and cultural conflicts during the pandemic.

[24] Unreliable Data: How Doubt Snowballed Over COVID-19 Drug Research (2020) The Guardian: Flawed studies and poor data quality amplified false claims about ivermectin’s effectiveness.

[25] Ivermectin and the Integrity of Healthcare Evidence During COVID-19 (2022) Frontiers: Weak evidence standards and politicization affected interpretation of ivermectin research.

[26] Merck Statement on Ivermectin Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2021) Merck: Manufacturer stated there was no scientific basis for ivermectin use in COVID-19.

[27] Poll: Trust in Public Health Agencies and Vaccines Falls Amid Republican Skepticism (2025) KFF: Public trust in health agencies and vaccines declined, with lower confidence concentrated among Republican respondents and linked to broader political polarization.

[28] From Anti-Government to Anti-Science (2020) American Academy of Arts and Sciences: Political polarization contributed to declining trust in scientific institutions.

[29] Health Conspiracy Theories: Drivers, Impacts, and Countermeasures (2022) International Journal of Health Equity: Misinformation spreads through distrust, identity alignment, and social networks, affecting health behaviors and policy.

[30] Why the Right Still Embraces Ivermectin (2025) The New York Times: Political identity, distrust in institutions, and alternative media contributed to continued support for ivermectin during COVID-19.

[31] What Ivermectin Can (and Can’t) Do (2025) The New York Times: Ivermectin remains effective for parasitic infections but shows no consistent clinical benefit for COVID-19.

[32] Ivermectin in Cancer Treatment: Should Healthcare Providers Caution or Explore Its Therapeutic Potential? (2025) Current Oncology Reports: Laboratory studies show ivermectin may inhibit tumor growth and affect cancer cell signaling pathways, though clinical evidence remains limited.

[33] US Cancer Institute Studying Ivermectin’s Ability to Kill Cancer Cells (2026) KFF Health News: Ongoing studies are evaluating ivermectin’s potential mechanisms in cancer treatment.

[34] Ivermectin Converts Cold Tumors Hot (2021) npj Breast Cancer: Study on ivermectin’s ability to enhance immune response in tumors.

[35] Ivermectin Takes Off Among Cancer Patients (2026) NPR: Some cancer patients used ivermectin outside clinical guidance despite limited supporting evidence.

[36] ‘You Are Not a Horse’: Americans Buying Over-the-Counter Drug to Cure Cancer (2025) News Media: Individuals used veterinary ivermectin formulations, leading to safety concerns and misuse.