Echoing several articles published last week, Donald McNeil Jr. of the New York Times also shed light on the recent study conducted in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene by scientists from Senegal and Colorado State University.

As mentioned previously, the study demonstrated that ivermectin, a drug used to treat onchocerciasis, can also kill mosquitoes.

Scientists such as Dr. Peter Hotez, President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, are enthusiastic about this study’s effects on combating malaria and other mosquito borne illnesses, however, the article also provided some cautious perspectives from others. For the drug to effectively kill mosquitoes, nearly everyone in an infested area would need to take the pill simultaneously. In addition, the mosquito killing effects fade after a month so ivermectin, which is typically only distributed once or twice a year to a community, would need to be distributed more frequently.

The article goes on to say, “Also, when people with lots of worms are treated, they suffer fever and intense itching as the worms die. Though that might be bearable once a year, it discourages people from seeking treatment more frequently. And ivermectin is dangerous for a few people — those infested with large numbers of a relatively rare West African worm, the loa loa. These worms circulate in the blood and lungs and may jam capillaries when they die, potentially causing coma or death. Detecting them means drawing blood and viewing it under a microscope.”

Read the full article here