Olathe man who filed lawsuit seeking ivermectin treatment at Johnson County hospital dies
An Olathe man who recently sued a Johnson County hospital where he was being treated for COVID-19 for refusing to provide him with ivermectin, a drug widely used as a deworming medication for livestock, has died.
Deke Austin Belden, 41, died on Dec. 13, roughly one week after filing an emergency petition in Johnson County District Court asking for a judge to compel the hospital to provide him with the medication. The court filing said Belden had been hospitalized at Olathe Medical Center after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia.
Belden contracted COVID-19 on Nov. 27, according to the filing, at which point he told his personal physician that he wanted to be treated with ivermectin, which he said his doctor approved.
Belden started taking ivermectin, which was supplied by his mother, according to the filing. He had also taken ivermectin prior to getting COVID.
The same day, Belden was admitted to the ER at the Olathe Medical Center where he asked to be administered ivermectin. Hospital staff refused his request.
The Food and Drug Administration has warned against using ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19, noting that consuming it in large quantities can be dangerous. Ivermectin is approved for humans to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice, according to the FDA, but has not been approved or authorized to treat or prevent COVID-19 in humans or animals.
Kansas City area doctors also have previously warned people away from ivermectin. The health system’s Poison Control Center has received frequent calls about the medication, University of Kansas doctors have said.
Belden was a native of Belleville, Illinois, according to an obituary published last week. His survivors include his wife, parents and siblings.
The Star’s Anna Spoerre contributed to this report.
