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In this post, an annual tradition, I want to recognize the Top 10 most popular posts of the year on the website based on the amount of traffic received starting at number 10.

10. NIH changes on use of ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19

Posts about the anti-parasitic drug, ivermectin, pro and con, being used for treatment of COVID-19 were quite popular in 2021.

Image/geralt via pixabay

In this post from January 2021:

In August 2020, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel firmly said of the use of ivermectin: The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel recommends against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19, except in a clinical trial.

Five months later, that same panel changed their recommendation: The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel has determined that currently there are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19. Results from adequately powered, well-designed, and well-conducted clinical trials are needed to provide more specific, evidence-based guidance on the role of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19.

9. Sweden: 200 people have tested positive for COVID-19 post- two dose vaccine

In this post from March 2021:

A report from the Swedish Public Health Agency shows that of the several hundred thousand people in Sweden who have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses and about 200 people have so far tested positive for COVID-19.

8. Israel natural immunity vs. vaccine-induced immunity study, Bangladesh mask study

This post from from September 2021 looked at two studies from Israel and Bangladesh, concerning immunity and mask effectiveness, respectively, was the 8th most popular post of the year:

A study by researchers from Tel Aviv conclude that natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infections is more robust against the Delta variant than two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine BNT162b2.

7. Jamaica: Lockdown imposed due to COVID-19 surge, Delta variant detected

In this post from August 2021:

After reports of three COVID-19 fatalities and some 500 hospitalizations Thursday, Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness is instituting a 7-day lockdown on the island nation.

“Our case numbers are unacceptably high and rising and the rate of hospitalizations is beyond the capacity of our health system to cope”, Holness said.

6. Pinworms: They only come out at night

In this, the first of several “oldies but goodies” that received a lot of traffic–this 2009 post about pinworms was the sixth most popular post of 2021:

So many of us or our family members have experienced this relatively mild though distressing infection. Pinworm is the most common worm infection in North America with up to 50% of some groups of school aged children getting infected. It is estimated that there are 500 million infections worldwide and 40 million at any one time in the U.S.

5. Philippines task force places 46 new countries on ‘green’ travel list

This post in October 2021 by guest author, Teddy Cambosa was the fifth most popular post of 2021:

The Philippines’ Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has announced 45 new countries that are placed on the ‘green’ list, meaning that no facility-based quarantine will be further required from travelers coming for this countries, but the passenger is enjoined to self-monitor for any symptoms until the fourteenth (14th) day with the first day being the date of arrival.

4. City of Manila launches pre-registration website for COVID-19 vaccine

Another post from Teddy from almost exactly one year ago was the fourth most popular post of the year:

The City of Manila in the Philippines has launched its COVID-19 pre-registration website www.manilacovid19vaccine.com for its citizens who are interested in receiving the vaccine, slated for release in the city this year.

3. A Look at Human Botfly Infestation

Another “evergreen” post from years gone by (2016) was the third most popular post of 2021:

This rare and quite disgusting condition is known as myiasis, an infection or infestation of the body of animals, and more rarely humans with the larva of botflies and related species. In other words: maggots in your body.

2. FDA warning: Ivermectin meant for animals are not for human treatment for COVID-19

This is one of the three posts about ivermectin that made the top 10 list in 2021:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today they are concerned about the health of consumers who may self-medicate by taking ivermectin products intended for animals, thinking they can be a substitute for ivermectin intended for humans–prompting them to issue a safety alert.

1. Ivermectin is highly effective as a safe prophylaxis and treatment for COVID-19: Comprehensive review

The most popular and controversial post was this press release about a comprehensive review that stated ivermectin was safe and effective from May 2021:

Peer reviewed by medical experts that included three U.S. government senior scientists and published in the American Journal of Therapeutics, the research is the most comprehensive review of the available data taken from clinical, in vitro, animal, and real-world studies.


In 2021, the most popular podcast from the Outbreak News Interviews podcast was this January 2021 discussion with Dr. Stephen A. Berger:

It’s not just COVID-19: Outbreaks of Lassa fever, plague and monkeypox