EBOLA CURE APPEARS TO HAVE WORKED ON US VICTIM Three top secret, experimental vials stored at subzero temperatures were flown into Liberia last week in a last-ditch effort to save two American missionary workers who had contracted Ebola. On July 22, Dr. Kent Brantly woke up feeling feverish. Fearing the worst, Brantly immediately isolated himself. Nancy Writebols symptoms started three days later. A rapid field blood test confirmed the infection in both of them after they had become ill with fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Its believed both Brantly and Writebol, who worked with the aid organization Samaritans Purse, contracted Ebola from another health care worker at their hospital in Liberia. A representative from the National Institutes of Health contacted Samaritans Purse in Liberia and offered the experimental treatment, known as ZMapp, for the two patients. The drug was developed by the biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. The patients were told that this treatment had never been tried before in a human being but had shown promise in small experiments with monkeys. According to company documents, four monkeys infected with Ebola survived after being given the therapy within 24 hours after infection. Two of four additional monkeys that started therapy within 48 hours after infection also survived. One monkey that was not treated died within five days of exposure to the virus. Brantly and Writebol were aware of the risk of taking a new, little understood treatment; informed consent was obtained from both Americans, according to two sources familiar with the care of the missionary workers. In the monkeys, the experimental serum had been given within 48 hours of infection. Brantly didnt receive it until hed been sick for nine days and it worked. He has been flown to the U.S and was even able to walk into Emory hospital by himself and is responding well to treatment. Nancy is already on the drug and expected to be flown to the U.S soon. Now we need to get this drug out quickly and while working on side effects. (pictured: Dr Brantly and Nancy)
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 17:48:09 +0000
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