EBOLA UPDATE: CDC ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT ZMAPP ( THE SECRET EXPERIMENTAL SERUM THAT WAS GIVEN TO THE TWO AMERICAN DOCTORS) -As the Ebola epidemic in Africa continues to claim more lives, and concerns are being raised that it is now out of control two doctors from the United States appear to be on the mend after receiving an experimental serum known as ZMapp. This week, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) answered questions about this new drug. What is ZMapp? ZMapp is a new serum, made up of three different kinds of antibodies, that is in development specifically to combat the Ebola virus. It is still in the experimental phase and has not yet reached the point where it has been tested for safety in humans. Is ZMapp a cure for Ebola? No. Without having gone through human clinical trials, theres no way to be sure if the treatment is actually effective in humans. The fact that both doctors are now seeing signs of improvement after receiving the treatment is a good sign. However, its possible that they were going to improve on their own, regardless of receiving this serum. There have already been examples during this outbreakof patients getting better on their own, and this may simply be two more cases of this kind of recovery. Is this a vaccine against Ebola? No. There is no vaccine for Ebola yet. ZMapp is simply a treatment for someone who has become infected by the virus. Even if it does prove effective against the virus, it is not designed to prevent someone from becoming infected. Why did these American doctors receive ZMapp if it hasnt been through human clinical trials? Samaritans Purse, the private humanitarian organization that one of the two doctors (Dr. Kent Brantly) works for, used contacts with the CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to contact the company developing the serum, Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. Presumably, Samaritans Purse and Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. were able to come to some kind of agreement - with approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - to provide the experimental treatment to the two doctors, who are being cared for at Emery University Hospital, in Atlanta, GA. Will this treatment now make its way to the people in Africa? The short answer is no. Not only is it too early in the serums development to tell how effective it actually is for humans, Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. doesnt have the ability to make large quantities of it. Are there other treatments or vaccines in development? Yes. There are two other companies currently working on treatments, and one vaccine candidate is in development by a third company. However, of these three, only one of the treatments (from Biocryst Pharmaceuticals) has advanced to the point where theyre ready to start Phase 1 trials. Phase 1 trials are where a drug or treatment is tested solely for its safety, its safe dosage levels and any side effects. The effectiveness of a drug or treatment doesnt start until Phase 2, when its tested against a placebo. The full Q & A can be found on the CDC website ( click here), and more information and updates on the Ebola virus and its spread are available on both the CDCand World Health Organization (WHO)websites. As it stands now, the situation in West Africa is growing worse. As of Wednesday, August 6, the WHO reporteda total of 1,711 cases across Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone (over 60 per cent of which have been confirmed). 932 of those infected have died. It is feared by some doctorsthat the infection is spreading out of control, since those numbers include over 100 new cases reported and 45 deaths over just the past weekend (August 2-4). According to BBC News, a Saudi Arabian man who was recently in West Africa has died in a suspected case of Ebola (although that has not yet been confirmed). Although there have been some scares in other countries, including the United States and the UK, the only cases currently outside Africa (and Saudi Arabia if that case is confirmed) are the two doctors in Emery University Hospital, and a priest who has now been flown home to Madrid, Spain for treatment. All other potential cases have been ruled out
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 20:07:43 +0000
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