Patients buying survivors’ blood from black market –WHO

The World Health Organisation has raised the alarm that desperate patients of the Ebola Virus Disease are buying the blood of survivors of the virus from the black market. Blood from survivors, referred to as convalescent serum, is said to have antibodies that can fight the deadly virus, hence the rush for the blood of survivor in the worst hit countries. Though unproven, it has provided some promise in fighting a disease with no approved drug to treat the dreaded disease. The current Ebola outbreak, said to be the deadliest in history, has killed at least 2,400 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The three West African countries have been the most affected by the virus. New cases have also emerged in Nigeria and Senegal, though authorities in Nigeria said the country had successfully battled the scourge. The WHO on Thursday said, Studies suggest blood transfusions from survivors might prevent or treat Ebola virus infection in others, but the results of the studies are still difficult to interpret. It is not known whether antibodies in the plasma of survivors are sufficient to treat or prevent the disease. More research is needed. Convalescent serum has been used to treat patients, including American aid worker Rick Sacra, who is hospitalised in Omaha, Nebraska. He got blood from Kent Brantly, a fellow American who survived Ebola. Both got infected when they were helping patients in Liberia.

Punch Newspaper