Ivermectin is not a proven treatment for hantavirus

"Hantavirus is a RNA virus, and ivermectin should work against it," claims a May 6, 2026 post on X from Mary Talley Bowden, an ear, nose, and throat doctor suspended in 2021 by Houston Methodist Hospital for spreading Covid-19 misinformation, whom AFP has previously fact-checked.

The following day, she posted to say she would be selling ivermectin to Texans with no prescription needed.

"I actually texted her today and asked what can we treat hantavirus with. I'm so glad she posted it," former Texas representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X as she amplified Bowden's assertions about ivermectin.

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Screenshot of an X post taken May 7, 2026

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Screenshot of an X post taken May 7, 2026

Bowden doubled down on the claim on May 8, posting on X: "Ivermectin has multiple anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties, and if I had hantavirus, I would try it!"

But the post reshared a World Health Organization (WHO) briefing specifically stating: "We've seen some online discussion, as well, indicating that perhaps ivermectin is useful in this case, but we have not seen any research that shows that ivermectin is an effective treatment for hantavirus."

Ivermectin is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat parasites and worm diseases, but the agency has not authorized or approved it for use in preventing or treating Covid-19 in humans or animals (archived here). Despite clinical trial data failing to demonstrate it is effective in treating infections in humans, the drug is regularly touted in health misinformation. 

Other users spread Bowden's claim across platforms amid a resurgence of Covid-era misinformation that followed the deadly outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship.

The rare disease is usually spread from infected rodents, typically through urine, droppings and saliva.

There were three deaths on the ship, including a Dutch couple who are suspected of having contracted the virus as they travelled around South America before boarding the ship in Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1.

The only hantavirus species known to transmit from person to person -- Andes virus -- was confirmed among those who have tested positive, fueling international concern. No vaccine or antiviral treatment exists.

However, the WHO insisted May 8 hantavirus poses minimal risk to the general public, as countries prepared to repatriate passengers.

Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) can cause respiratory and cardiac distress as well as haemorrhagic fevers.

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Infographic explaining the hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome symptoms and transmission (AFP / Nicholas SHEARMAN)

"There are no current treatments that we have that are effective against the hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome," Michelle Harkins, chief of the pulmonary critical care and sleep division at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine (archived here), told AFP on May 8.

Asked about ivermectin, she said there is "no evidence this would ever work for a hantavirus."

John Lednicky, research professor at the College of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida (archived here), agreed, telling AFP there is "extreme misinformation about ivermectin."

"Many compounds/chemicals/drugs are affective against virus grown in cells in flasks or petri dishes. This does not mean the same drugs can be used to treat virus infections in humans," he said in a May 8 email.

In her inaccurate post, Bowen stated: "Ivermectin blocks RNA viruses from entering the nucleus, inhibits viral replication, disrupts integrity of the viral membrane and can prevent viral replication."

But Harkins said that the hantavirus "does not replicate in the nucleus, and it replicates in the cytoplasm, so ivermectin would have absolutely no effect on the replication of the virus."

Lednicky, also agreed the assertion that the virus "enters the nucleus" is "pure nonsense."

He said patients who present with hantavirus symptoms will receive "supportive therapy" including "fluid to rehydrate them as necessary, and attention given to breathing issues."

Both experts said severe cases may require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) where blood is pumped outside of the body to a heart-lung machine (archived here).

Find more of AFP's reporting on health misinformation here.