[fswd]

my doctor and I had a recent discussion about exactly this. Just incredibly bizarre behavior from people with no explanation. I asked if it could be caused by parasites. She brought up a study in LA where they tested the homeless for Babesia, and many people tested positive. Sorry I did not get the link for this study, but it is plausible. I'm not even sure how we can as a society even address this. One of the treatments is now so politically polarized during the pandemic, even mentioning it out loud is a conversation killer.

[xkbarkar]

Out of curiosity, what is the treatment?

[dyim]

also curious; nothing on this page looks controversial (https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/babesiosis/health_professional...), unless you believe that doctors are wrongly overprescribing azithromycin. (which is fair! but probably not conversation-killingly controversial)

[macintux]

I’d assume ivermectin, since it’s a parasite treatment.

[Zak]

Chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine would be the other likely candidates. A quick web search suggests they've been tested and found ineffective for Babesia. Of course, their being found ineffective for treating a disease in a scientific study does not always stop people from trying them.

There's a mouse study from 2019 suggesting ivermectin is likely to be effective against Babesia, but it is not a standard treatment as far as I can tell.

[77pt77]

That's what I though but it's not mentioned as a standard treatment.