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Saturday 6 September 2014

Medical Breakthrough: Survivors Blood Can Be Used To Treat Ebola, WHO Says


The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that patients with Ebola can be treated with the blood of those who have survived the disease.

According to medical experts, people produce antibodies in the blood in an attempt to fight off an Ebola infection.
These antibodies can then be transferred into a sick patient through transfusion to boost their immune system.
According to reports, Dr. Marie Paule Kieny, an assistant director general at WHO said:
“We agreed that whole blood therapies may be used to treat Ebola virus and all efforts must be invested to help infected countries to use them.
“There is a real opportunity that a blood-derived product can be used now and this can be very effective in terms of treating patients.”
She said that it was the one positive aspect of so many people being infected.
“There are also many people now who have survived and are doing well. They can provide blood to treat the other people who are sick.”
This therapy is believed to have worked during the 1995 outbreak of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo after 7 out of 8 people survived due to the treatment.

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