A man with a big social media following who had been preaching against modern science and Covid-19 vaccinations has been found dead after taking veterinary-grade ivermectin.
Rhode Island man Danny Lemoi, who had a history of taking veterinary ivermectin, died unexpectedly on March 3.
Lemoi was a vocal proponent of using ivermectin as an alternative treatment and had created one of the largest social media channels dedicated to the promotion of the drug.
Ivermectin, a medicine mainly used to treat parasitic diseases in animals such as horses, became a popular alternative Covid-19 treatment among anti-vaxxers.
Multiple major health organisations, including the Food and Drug Administration, US Centers for Disease Control, the European Medicines Agency, and the World Health Organization have denounced the use of the drug against Covid-19.
The Telegram channel continues to push Lemoi's misinformation about the drug despite his death.
Lemoi began taking the drug daily in 2012 after being diagnosed with Lyme disease.
He claimed that the drug had regenerated his heart muscle, which led him to quit all other treatments.
However, Lemoi's followers have reported numerous known side effects from taking veterinary ivermectin.
Some members of the group are using it as a cure-all for almost every disease, believing that every disease is caused by a parasite that is removed from the body by ivermectin.
Lemoi's recommended dosage for children has also been adopted by members of the group, according to Vice.
Despite repeated warnings by the FDA that veterinary ivermectin is not a cure or effective treatment for Covid-19, many anti-vaxxers have been taking and recommending it.
Some of Lemoi's followers in his pro-ivermectin Telegram group reported experiencing various side effects from taking the drug, including seizures, coma, lung issues, and heart problems.
They shared their concerns about the safety of the drug and questioned its effectiveness as a treatment for Covid-19.
One member of the group wrote about experiencing pain in their waist, legs, and bones, while another member's wife had severe symptoms such as a migraine, vomiting, and stomach pain.
Some members of the group believed that every disease is caused by a parasite that is removed from the body by ivermectin and reported using the drug as a cure-all for various conditions, including cancer, depression, autism, and ovarian cysts.
Despite these reports, the administrators of Lemoi's Telegram channel continued to push his misinformation and dosage recommendations for veterinary ivermectin, including instructions on how to administer the drug to children.
When some members of the group blamed Lemoi's death on ivermectin, they were criticised on the channel, and their fellow group members claimed they were spreading misinformation.
Lemoi's close ones claimed that his death was attributed to "natural causes" and said his heart had grown bigger than it should have, presumably due to the use of ivermectin.
In a post on his channel on his Telegram, they said: "Though it was obvious that Danny had the biggest heart, it was unbeknownst to him that his heart was quite literally overworking and overgrowing beyond its capacity- nearly doubled in size from what it should have been.
"Yes, he had labs done as recently as last year and because they raised no red flags, no further testing was believed to be necessary.
"Danny was fully convinced that his heart had regenerated after his incident with Lyme Disease that almost ended in congestive heart failure 3x nearly six years ago- however, a family history of heart disease and chronic stress had been silently working against his best efforts to maintain his health.
"All of his other organs were unremarkable, and this was determined to be a death by unfortunate natural causes.
"Due to Danny’s distrust in doctors and a history of medical trauma, we cannot hold him accountable for not following up on his health although we are absolutely devastated that this had been going on.
"Until his last day, he was still pressing on 7 days a week in high spirits, and great physical shape- lending few clues to an issue that presented too late."
