Good Drug, Bad Practice: Tackling the Ivermectin Fiasco

Throughout history, biomedical advancements have alleviated suffering worldwide and significantly advanced human well-being. As researchers and educators, we are well-familiar with the painstakingly slow and meticulous process of science, some of which culminates in a life-saving therapy or a revolutionary cure. Ivermectin, the drug hailed for treating river blindness and filariasis across the globe, is one such feat of scientific discovery. However, Ivermectin has lately been falsely purported to treat COVID-19, endangering the lives of millions who have taken to self-medication. Worse even, the drug has been weaponized to undermine vaccines, which are our only solution out of this pandemic. The popularity of Ivermectin among large swaths of people is a somber lesson on the need to bridge the gap between science and the public, and to incorporate science education into our curricula. In this lesson, students learn how Ivermectin treats parasitic illnesses but does not treat COVID-19, how politically-motivated scientific misinformation has jeopardized people’s lives, and how lack of proper oversight of scientific papers has fueled the Ivermectin crisis. Through active learning techniques to foster quantitative skills and critical analysis, student-driven activities and discussions, and readings and reflections, this lesson aims to empower students to apply science literacy and education in their daily lives.