ivermectin
a drug used in the treatment of ONCHOCERCIASIS . It acts by killing the immature forms ( MICROFILARIA ) of the parasite. Ivermectin is also used to treat creeping eruption, strongyloidiasis, and scabies. It is administered by mouth; side-effects, which are mild, include itching and swollen lymph nodes.
Ivermectin is used to treat strongyloidiasis (threadworm; infection with a type of roundworm that enters the body through the skin, moves through the airways and lives in the intestines). Ivermectin is also used to control onchocerciasis (river blindness; infection with a type of roundworm that may cause rash, bumps under the skin, and vision problems including vision loss or blindness). Ivermectin is in a class of medications called anthelmintics. It treats strongyloidosis by killing the worms in the intestines. It treats onchocerciasis by killing the developing worms. Ivermectin does not kill the adult worms that cause onchocerciasis and therefore it will not cure this type of infection.
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