AP Makes Massive Blunder, Claims 70% of Calls to Poison Control for ‘Ivermectin’ Overdose, Issues Correction to 2%

On August 23, the AP published a story about calls to poison control, over the use of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 written by reporter Leah Willingham. Below is the tweet of her story:

“Our @AP story for today, which includes info on the health dept order. It also touches on the continuing concern over people using livestock medicine to try to treat COVID-19. Two people have been hospitalized for taking ivermectin, according to MSDH.”

Our @AP story for today, which includes info on the health dept order. It also touches on the continuing concern over people using livestock medicine to try to treat COVID-19. Two people have been hospitalized for taking ivermectin, according to MSDH.https://t.co/JdpLCi1aYO

— Leah M. Willingham (@LeahMWillingham) August 23, 2021

The story was quickly shared, as it claimed that 70% of recent calls to the Mississippi Poison Control Center were from people who had ingested Ivermectin, to try and treat COVID-19. 70% is an alarmingly high number of calls to poison control.

This was simply not correct. The article was updated on August 25 but not at the top, and the article did not list that it was corrected or updated at the top. Readers have to scroll to the bottom of the article to find the writer’s acknowledgment of the correction which is cited as no fault of the writer.

“This story was first published on Aug. 23, 2021. It was updated on Aug. 25, 2021 to correct that the number of calls to poison control about ivermectin was about 2%. Incorrect information provided by the Mississippi Department of Health had said the number was 70%.”

It appears that the wrong information was provided by the Mississippi Department of Health. The correct information was that ingested horse dewormer calls made up 2% of the calls and of those 70% were about ivermectin. That small error makes a huge difference.

SFGATE published a more thorough correction from AP. “JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — In an article published Aug. 23, 2021, about people taking livestock medicine to try to treat coronavirus, The Associated Press erroneously reported based on information provided by the Mississippi Department of Health that 70% of recent calls to the Mississippi Poison Control Center were from people who had ingested ivermectin to try to treat COVID-19. State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said Wednesday the number of calls to poison control about ivermectin was about 2%. He said of the calls that were about ivermectin, 70% were by people who had ingested the veterinary version of the medicine.”

Twitter user Amy pointed out that, “If you Google “Mississippi 70 ivermectin” you’ll see that the correction never made it through to most mainstream media outlets”. A screenshot of the google search is included in the tweet.

If you Google “mississippi 70 ivermectin” you’ll see that the correction never made it through to most mainstream media outlets. pic.twitter.com/XQO5Q4hcsB

— Amy (@AmyA1A) September 6, 2021

Twitter user Amy also shared sentiment that many others may have when it comes to mainstream media reporting on Ivermectin saying, “At this point, if you happen upon an ivermectin/“horse dewormer” story, your safest bet is to assume the media are lying. Really. That needs to be your default setting these days.”

At this point, if you happen upon an ivermectin/“horse dewormer” story, your safest bet is to assume the media are lying. Really. That needs to be your default setting these days.

— Amy (@AmyA1A) September 6, 2021

This is the second story on Ivermectin that had incorrect data from seemingly reliable sources that had to be corrected. When incorrect information gets out it is hard to reverse the effects or enlighten people to the correction. It doesn’t appear that the information in this article was intended to be misleading and sounds like an honest mistake, but the correction doesn’t seem to be highlighted.

One should always consult their doctor for any medical advice.