| How deadly Ebola has spread across the globe: Health officials try to trace 30,000 linked to death of American victim - as Nigerian film star sparks outrage by fleeing Africa in a mask on first-class flight
Fears of a global Ebola pandemic are 'justified' an expert has said as Nigerian health officials try to trace 30,000 people at risk of contracting the deadly disease following the death of Patrick Sawyer. The U.S. citizen boarded a flight in Liberia carrying the disease to Nigeria, potentially infecting 'anyone on the same plane'. It comes as Nigerian actor Jim Iyke sparked outrage, posting a picture of himself wearing an Ebola mask while sitting in a first class airport lounge as he fled Liberia. The 'Nollywood' star posted a message on his Instagram page saying he had cut short a business trip to Monrovia in Liberia - where at least 600 people have already died from the disease. The death toll for this, the worst outbreak recorded since the Ebola virus was discovered in 1976, stands at 672, while more than 1,200 people have been infected. Scroll down for videos +15 The latest outbreak of Ebola is the most severe since the disease was discovered in 1976. So far the disease has spread from a village in Guinea to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria +15 Nigerian health officials are in the process of trying to trace 30,000 people, believed to be at risk of contracting the highly-infectious virus, following the death of Patrick Sawyer in Lagos Ebola (above) has already killed 672 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria and infected more than 1,200 since it was first diagnosed in February. Symptoms include sudden fever, vomiting and headaches +15 Medical personnel at the Doctors Without Borders facility in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, where leading Ebola doctor Sheik Humarr Khan died The disease has swept through Western Africa, having first been detected in Guinea in February. Since then victims have succumbed to the incurable illness, which starts with flu-like symptoms before evolving to cause catastrophic internal bleeding, in Sierra Leone and Liberia. But it was the death of a U.S. citizen in the Nigerian captial of Lagos on Friday, that has prompted fears the disease could be on the brink of spreading to the West, as experts warn it could be carried across international borders by air travellers. Mr Sawyer, a consultant for Liberia's Finance Ministry, died on Friday after arriving at Lagos airport on June 20, having vomited and suffered diarrhoea on two flights. The 40-year-old U.S. citizen had been to the funeral of his sister, who also died from the disease. A woman quarantined at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong has tested negative for the disease, despite returning from a trip to Kenya with Ebola-like symptoms. Meanwhile two suspected patients in the UK have also tested negative. But the panic sparked by Mr Sawyer's death is 'justified' says Dr Derek Gatherer of the University of Lancaster, claiming the virus is as infectious as flu. He warned each person infected with the disease could spread the virus to at least two other people. 'Anyone on the same plane could have become infected because Ebola is easy to catch,' he said. 'It can be passed on through vomiting, diarrhoea or even from simply saliva or sweat - as well as being sexually transmitted. 'That is why there is such alarm over Mr Sawyer because he became ill on the flight so anyone else sharing the plane could have been infected by his vomit or other bodily fluids.' Doctors Without Borders (MSF) echoed the concerns, warning the crisis gripping West Africa will only get worse, adding it is impossible to rule out the disease spreading to other countries. Bart Janssens, MSF's director of operations, warned there was no overarching vision of how to tackle the outbreak, in an interview with La Libre Belgique newspaper. 'This epidemic is unprecedented, absolutely out of control and the situation can only get worse, because it is still spreading, above all in Liberia and Sierra Leone, in some very important hotspots,' he said. 'We are extremely worried by the turn of events, particularly in these two countries where there is a lack of visibility on the epidemic. 'If the situation does not improve fairly quickly, there is a real risk of new countries being affected. 'IT SCARES THE JESUS OUTTA ME': OUTRAGE AS NIGERIAN 'NOLLYWOOD' STAR POSTS PICTURE WEARING EBOLA MASK AS HE FLEES LIBERIAA Nigerian actor has sparked outrage after posting an image of himself wearing an Ebola mask while sitting in a first class airport lounge as he flees Liberia. 'Nollywood' star Jim Iyke posted a message on his Instagram page saying he had cut short a business trip to Monrovia in Liberia - where at least 600 people have already died from the disease. The image of Iyke sitting on green leather-clad seats in the airport's luxury first class lounge while wearing an expensive designer watch and sunglasses was accompanied with the caption: 'Not ashamed to admit this scares the Jesus outta me #Ebola.' +15 Nigerian actor Jim Iyke posted this picture on his Instagram account, revealing he had cut short a business trip to Liberia over fears the Ebola virus is spreading in the West African country The contrast between Iyke's image of first class luxury is in stark contrast to the thousands of terrified Liberians who are living in fear of contracting the deadly disease. However, much of the anger about his image stemmed from fear among Nigerian citizens that Iyke appeared to be travelling back to the country without having been tested to see if he was infected. Twitter user @Avariberry posted a message reading: 'Jim Iyke or Not... he gotta be screened. #TestJimIyke.' Meanwhile @IcallDibbz_ said: 'Please ooo, James Ikechukwu, aka Jim Iyke, should be quarantined.' Others picked up on the fact Iyke had an expensive face mask to protect himself, but was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt. +15 Health campaigners have petitioned U.S. authorities, calling for the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track their approval of a new Ebola drug, which could be the first cure for the disease +15 Professor Peter Piot, the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the virus, although deadly, is 'in theory easy to contain' It comes as health campaigners today called for U.S. authorities to speed up their approval of a new drug hoped to be the first cure for the deadly Ebola virus. They are calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States to fast-track their authorisation of the TKM-Ebola drug. The petition, created on change.org, states: 'One of the most promising is TKM-Ebola manufactured by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals. 'This drug has been shown to be highly effective in killing the virus in primates and Phase 1 clinical trials to assess its safety in humans were started earlier this year.' VIRUS 'EASY TO CONTAIN IN THEORY' SAYS MAN WHO DISCOVERED ITProfessor Peter Piot, the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the scientist who discoverd the Ebola virus in 1976, in Zaire, said the disease, although aggressive is 'in theory easy to contain'. He told CNN: 'Well it’s spectacular because once you get it, at least with this strain of Ebola, you’ve got like a 90 per cent chance of dying. 'That’s spectacular by any standard – one of the most lethal viruses that exist. 'On the other hand, you need really close contact to become infected. 'So just being on the bus with someone with Ebola, that’s not a problem. 'It’s also not iatrogenic [ph] so it’s not transmitted through, you know, droplets and so on. So it is really something that in theory is easy to contain.' In July the FDA put clinical trials on hold, despite the face 14 research participants had already safely tolerated the drug, campaigners said. Those responsible for the petition added: 'Given that at least one patient has transferred the disease from Liberia to Nigeria by air travel, the possibility of a global pandemic becomes increasingly likely. 'In view of this it’s imperative that the development of these drugs be fast-tracked by the FDA and the first step should be releasing the hold on TKM-Ebola. 'There is a precedent for fast tracking anti-Ebola drugs in emergency cases as happened last year when a researcher was exposed to the virus and received an experimental vaccine.' Mr Sawyer was put in isolation at the First Consultants Hospital in Obalende, one of the most crowded parts of the city, home to around 21 million people. He took two flights to reach Lagos, from Monrovia to Lome and then onto the Nigerian capital. So far 59 people who came into contact with Mr Sawyer have been identified by Nigerian health officials, and are under surveillance. But health officials have said they are looking at contacting 30,000 people who could be at risk of contracting the disease. Professor Sunday Omilabu, from Lagos University Teaching Hospital, said health officials are in the process of tracing all those people who are thought to have been in contact with Mr Sawyer. He said: 'We've been making contacts. We now have information about the (flight) manifest. 'We have information about who and who were around. 'So, as I'm talking, our teams are in the facility, where they've trained the staff, and then they (are) now asking questions about those that were closely in contact with the patient.' Public health adviser, Yewande Adeshina, added: 'We're actually looking at contacting over 30,000 people in this very scenario. 'Because any and everybody that has contacted this person is going to be treated as a suspect.' UK confident it can contain Ebola if neccessary +15 A number of patients have been discharged from Ebola treatment centres in Guinea after successfully beating the Ebola virus, says Médecins Sans Frontières Hong Kong prepares for possible Ebola outbreak +15 U.S. citizen Patrick Sawyer, pictured with his daughter Ava, died on Friday in the Nigerian capital of Lagos having become infected with the Ebola virus. His death prompted fears of a global pandemic after he flew from Liberia to Nigeria +15 Decontee Sawyer, the wife of Liberian government official Patrick Sawyer, said she shudders to think how easily her husband could have returned to the U.S. carrying the disease Expert says people should be 'on alert' over Ebola Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond today declared the disease a 'very serious threat' to Britain as he prepared to chair an emergency meeting on how to bolster the country's defences against the vicious virus. The meeting came as the European Union today allocated an extra two million euros to help fight the Ebola outbreak, bringing total funding to 3.9 million euros. EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva, said: 'The level of contamination on the ground is extremely worrying and we need to scale up our action before many more lives are lost.' The European Union has deployed experts on the ground to help victims and try to prevent contagion but Georgieva called for a 'sustained effort from the international community to help West Africa deal with this menace'. British airlines are on alert for cases of the deadly virus, after tests revealed a man died in Nigeria from the disease, having been allowed to board an international flight from Liberia. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has met global health officials on implementing measures to halt the spread of the disease, as the pan-African ASKY airlines suspended all flights to and from the capitals of Liberia and Sierra Leone. British Airways said it was maintaining its flights to west Africa but would monitor the situation closely. A British man has also been tested for the Ebola virus, putting doctors on red alert that it could be on its way to the UK. A spokesman for Hong Kong's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) will be notified if it is confirmed the patient is suffering from the Ebola virus. In Nigeria health officials said today, they are in the process of tracing 30,000 people at risk of contracting the disease after coming into contact with a Liberian man who died on Friday. Meanwhile, the British man was taken to hospital in Birmingham after complaining of feeling ‘feverish’ on a flight back to the Midlands from West Africa. He had been travelling from Benin, Nigeria via Paris, France when he became unwell on Monday. However, after undergoing a number of tests he was given the all-clear for the virus which has already killed 672 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and infected more than 1,200 since it was first diagnosed in February. In another scare, medical staff at Charing Cross Hospital in London became concerned a man in his twenties had caught the virus this week. But his symptoms were quickly confirmed as not being linked to the bug and doctors ruled out the need for an Ebola test. State Department says no significant risk of Ebola in U.S. +15 Tragic: US citizen Patrick Sawyer (pictured with his wife Decontee) died after contracting Ebola in West Africa +15 Fears: Medical staff at Charing Cross Hospital in London became concerned a man in his twenties had caught the virus this week. However, his symptoms were later put down to another bug and Ebola was ruled out Nigeria tracing over 30,000 potentially exposed to Ebola Fears over the ability to contain the spread of Ebola were augmented last night as it emerged the body of a young stowaway was found hidden in on a U.S. military plane. The Pentagon said the young boy, believed to be of African origin, was found near the wheel of a cargo plane which landed in Germany. AIRLINES ON EBOLA RED ALERTBritish airlines are on alert for cases of the deadly virus, after tests revealed a man died in Nigeria from the disease, having been allowed to board an international flight from Liberia. Patrick Sawyer, a consultant for Liberia’s Finance Ministry, had been in Liberia for the funeral of his sister, who also died from the disease, and was on his way back to his home in the US. The 40-year-old arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 20 and had suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea on two flights. He was put in isolation in hospital and died on Friday. Nigeria has closed the Lagos hospital where Mr Sawyer was treated and put its airports and ports on 'red alert'. ASKY airlines, the carrier which flew Mr Sawyer, suspended flights to the capitals of Liberia and Sierra Leone yesterday. In Britain, the Department of Transport said UK airlines are 'monitoring the situation'. Virgin Atlantic told the Daily Express their staff have been trained to spot the signs and symptoms of the virulent disease, which has claimed the lives of 672 people in West Africa since February. The plane was on a routine mission in Africa, and had made stops in Senegal, Mali, Chad, Tunisia and the Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily before arriving at Ramstein. It is thought the boy climbed aboard in Mali, which borders Guinea - where the current Ebola outbreak originated at the end of last year. It comes as hospitals and medical centres across the UK remain on red alert for the virus, with doctors being told to look out for symptoms of the disease which can go unnoticed for three weeks and kills 90 per cent of victims. The Department of Health confirmed protections have been put in place to deal with the deadly bug, should it spread to Britain. A spokesman said: ‘We are well prepared to identity and deal with any potential cases of Ebola, although there has never been a case in this country.’ The Government’s chief scientific advisor also issued a frank warning about the disease, which he said could have a ‘major impact’ on the UK. Sir Mark Walport said: ‘The UK is fortunate in its geographical position. We’re an island. But we are living in a completely interconnected world where disruptions in countries far away will have major impacts. ‘The most dangerous infections of humans have always been those which have emerged from other species,’ he told the Daily Telegraph, referring to the virus originating in fruit bats and monkeys. He said the Government was ‘keeping a close eye’ on the outbreak and was prepared for the disease spreading to Britain, but insisted any risk was ‘very low’. He added: ‘We have to think about risk and managing risk appropriately.’ Public Health England has added to fears about the spread of the virus by saying it was ‘clearly not under control’. +15 Virus: Symptoms of Ebola include high fever, bleeding, damage to the nervous system and vomiting +15 Outbreak: There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, which is spread by contact with infected blood or bodily fluids The Government agency’s global health director, Dr Brian McCloskey, said: ‘It is the largest outbreak of this disease to date, and it’s clear it is not under control. ‘We have alerted UK medical practitioners about the situation in West Africa and requested they remain vigilant for unexplained illness in those who have visited the affected area.’ The current outbreak started in Guinea in February and spread to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone in weeks. Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and damage to the nervous system. There is no vaccine or cure. It is spread by contact with infected blood or other bodily fluids. All outbreaks since 1976 – when Ebola was first identified – have been in Africa, with the previous highest death toll being 280. However, authorities around the world have been put on high alert in recent weeks after an American doctor working in Liberia became infected and passed through an airport. Nigerian health officials yesterday admitted they did not have a list of all the people who came into contact Patrick Sawyer, prompting fears the outbreak could spread. But the manifesto appears to have been disclosed as Professor Sunday Omilabu, from Lagos University Teaching Hospital, said health officials are in the process of tracing all those people who are thought to have been in contact with Mr Sawyer. He said: 'We've been making contacts. We now have information about the (flight) manifest. 'We have information about who and who were around. 'So, as I'm talking, our teams are in the facility, where they've trained the staff, and then they (are) now asking questions about those that were closely in contact with the patient.' Public health adviser, Yewande Adeshina, added: 'We're actually looking at contacting over 30,000 people in this very scenario. 'Because any and everybody that has contacted this person is going to be treated as a suspect.' Doctor demonstrates the dangers of working with ebola +15 Spreading: The outbreak has hit Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and has now killed a man in far more densely populated Nigeria. The outbreak is the deadliest ever of the terrifying disease as the death toll crept past 670 Mr Sawyer, a consultant for Liberia’s Finance Ministry, had been in Liberia for the funeral of his sister, who also died from the disease, and was on his way back to his home in the US. The 40-year-old arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 20 and had suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea on two flights. He was put in isolation in hospital and died on Friday. So far 59 people who came into contact with him have been identified and are under surveillance. But the airlines have yet to release flight information naming passengers and crew members. Dr David Heymann, head of the Centre on Global Health Security, said every person who had been on the plane to Lagos with Mr Sawyer would need to be traced. Sierra Leone’s top doctor fighting Ebola died yesterday after he contracted the virus just days ago. Sheik Umar Khan was credited with treating more than 100 patients. Liberia closed most of its border crossings on Sunday and Nigeria’s airports and borders have been on full alert since Friday. Nigeria confirms Ebola case in megacity of Lagos ARE YOU AT RISK OF CATCHING THE INCURABLE, DEADLY EBOLA DISEASE?What is Ebola virus disease? Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness, with a death rate of up to 90 per cent.The illness affects humans as well as primates, including monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees. Ebola is transmitted through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In Africa infection in humans has happened as a result of contact with chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead in the rainforest. Once a person becomes infected, the virus can spread through contact with a sufferer's blood, urine, saliva, stools and semen. A person can also become infected if broken skin comes into contact with a victim's soiled clothing, bed linen or used needles. Men who have recovered from the disease, can still spread the virus to their partner through their semen for seven weeks after recovery. +15 Who is most at risk? Those at risk during an outbreak include:
What are the typical signs and symptoms? Sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. That is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function and internal and external bleeding. The incubation period is between two and 21 days. A person will become contagious once they start to show symptoms. When should you seek medical care? If a person is in an area affected by the outbreak, or has been in contact with a person known or suspected to have Ebola, they should seek medical help immediately. Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. They need intravenous fluids to rehydrate them. But there is currently no specific treatment for the disease. Some patients will recover with the appropriate care. Currently there is no licensed vaccine for Ebola. Several are being tested but are not available for clinical use. Is it safe to travel to affected areas? The World Health Organisation reviews the public health situation regularly, and recommends travel or trade restrictions if necessary. The risk of infection for travellers is very low since person-to-person transmission results from direct contact with bodily fluids of victims.
| Liberia shuts hospital where Spanish priest infected, Ebola death toll hits 932
August 2014 – AFRICA - Monrovia: Liberia shut a major hospital in the capital Monrovia on Wednesday after a Spanish priest and six other staff contracted Ebola, as the death toll from the worst outbreak of the disease hit 932 in West Africa. The outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic fever has overwhelmed rudimentary healthcare systems and prompted the deployment of troops to quarantine the worst-hit areas in the remote border region of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 45 new deaths in the three days to Aug. 4, and its experts began an emergency meeting in Geneva on Wednesday to discuss whether the outbreak constitutes a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” and to discuss new measures to contain the outbreak. International alarm at the spread of the disease increased when a U.S. citizen died in Nigeria late last month after flying there from Liberia. The health minister said on Wednesday that a Nigerian nurse who had treated the deceased Patrick Sawyer had herself died of Ebola, and five other people were being treated in an isolation ward in Lagos, Africa’s largest city. In Saudi Arabia, a man suspected of contracting Ebola during a recent business trip to Sierra Leone also died early on Wednesday in Jeddah, the Health Ministry said. Saudi Arabia has already suspended pilgrimage visas from West African countries, which could prevent those hoping to visit Mecca for the Haj in early October.
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Liberia, where the death toll is rising fastest, is struggling to cope. Many residents are panicking, in some cases casting out the bodies of family members onto the streets of Monrovia to avoid quarantine measures. Beneath heavy rain, ambulance sirens wailed through the otherwise quiet streets of Monrovia on Wednesday as residents heeded a government request to stay at home for three days of fasting and prayers. “Everyone is afraid of Ebola. You cannot tell who has Ebola or not. Ebola is not like a cut mark that you can see and run,” said Sarah Wehyee as she stocked up on food at the local market in Paynesville, an eastern suburb of Monrovia. St. Joseph’s Catholic hospital was shut down after the Cameroonian hospital director died from Ebola, authorities said. Six staff subsequently tested positive for the disease, including two nuns and 75-year old Spanish priest Miguel Pajares, who is due to be repatriated by a special medical aircraft on Wednesday. TROOPS DEPLOYED IN OPERATION “WHITE SHIELD” Spain’s health ministry denied that one of the nuns – born in Equatorial Guinea but holding Spanish nationality – had tested positive for Ebola. The other nun is Congolese. “We hope they can evacuate us. It would be marvelous, because we know that, if they take us to Spain, at least we will be in good hands,” Pajares told CNN in Spanish this week. Healthcare workers are in the front line of fighting the virus, and two US health workers from Christian medical charity Samaritan’s Purse caught the virus in Monrovia and are now receiving treatment in an Atlanta hospital.
Ebola, which has no proven vaccine or treatment, has killed nearly 900 people this year in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria and health officials in many countries are struggling to halt its spread. Health experts say those medical workers in Nigeria now infected from Sawyer would not have been contagious to their neighbors or family members until they started showing symptoms of their own. The delay in enforcing infection control measures, though, is another setback in the battle to stamp out the worst Ebola outbreak in history. The specter of the virus spreading through Nigeria is particularly alarming, said David Morse, an epidemiology professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “It makes you nervous when so many people are potentially at risk,” he said. Lagos is a bewildering combination of wealth and abject poverty, awash in luxury SUVs and decrepit buses alike that carry passengers through hours of crowded traffic on the bridges linking the city’s islands to the mainland. Ebola can only be transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is sick — blood, semen, saliva, urine, feces or sweat. Millions live in cramped conditions without access to flushable toilets, and signs posted across the megacity tell people not to urinate in public. Authorities in Liberia said Sawyer’s sister had recently died of Ebola, though Sawyer said he had not had close contact with her while she was ill. In announcing his death, Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu maintained that Nigerian officials had been vigilant. –
“They are therefore removing the bodies from their homes and are putting them out in the street. They’re exposing themselves to the risk of being contaminated,” Brown told Reuters. “We’re asking people to please leave the bodies in their homes and we’ll pick them up.” Brown said authorities had begun cremating bodies on Sunday, after local communities opposed burials in their neighborhoods, and had carried out 12 cremations on Monday. Meanwhile, in the border region of Lofa County, troops were deployed on Monday night to start isolating effected communities there. “We hope it will not require excessive force, but we have to do whatever we can to restrict the movement of people out of affected areas,” Brown said. Finance minister Amara Konneh said the country’s growth forecast for the year was no longer looking realistic as a result of the outbreak. Sierra Leone’s foreign minister Samura Kamara also said that the virus had cost the government $10 million so far and was hampering efforts to stimulate growth. British Airways said it was suspending flights to and from Liberia and Sierra Leone until the end of the month due to public health concerns. Germany joined France and the United States in advising against travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, saying there was still no end in sight to the spread of the disease. Concern grew over an outbreak in Lagos, Africa’s largest city, after medical authorities there said they had quarantined 14 people who came into contact with Sawyer after he arrived on a regional flight from Liberia. The airline Asky has since been barred from Nigeria. “Of the 14 who have had serious contact with the victim, eight have serious symptoms,” Lagos Health Commissioner Jide Idris told a news conference. “Only one of those quarantined has tested positive … The doctor who tested positive is now on the mainland under intensive care.” With healthcare systems in the West African nations overrun by the epidemic, the African Development Bank and World Bank said they would immediately disburse $260 million to the three countries worst affected – Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. –
If it is confirmed that the individual has been infected with Ebola, he or she will be transferred to a specialist London-based hospital and cared for in isolation. The PHE spokeswoman was unable to comment where the individual suspected of carrying the virus had traveled from, or whether the person was a tourist or health worker. As a precautionary measure, GPs in England and Wales have been advised to ask patients who report apparently benign flu-like symptoms if they have passed through the affected regions, she said. Last week, PHE experts briefed UK Border Agency representatives along with airport staff throughout the country on how to successfully identify symptoms of the disease. They were also advised on how to cope with infected passengers, according to Dr Brian McCloskey, director of global health at PHE. “This is easily the biggest Ebola outbreak we have ever seen,” Dr. McCloskey warned. “And it is clearly not yet under control.” PHE’s decision to brief UK Border Agency representatives and airport staff was sparked after Patrick Sawyer – who tragically died of the disease – boarded a number of international flights in Africa, despite showing signs of the virus. Sawyer was suffering from vomiting and diarrhea when he caught a flight from Liberia, stopped over in Ghana, caught another plane to Togo, and finally passed away in Nigeria. Following the tragic event, doctors throughout the world have been advised to be on alert for patients displaying early symptoms of the fatal disease, which include headaches, joint and muscle pain, fever, and a loss of appetite. More advanced symptoms include vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, rash, and internal and external bleeding – often from the nose, eyes, or mouth. -
Unfortunately, however, the serum theory was not confirmed by later studies. “When we tested that hypothesis in a lab, and took convalescent blood from animals who survived and gave it to Ebola-infected animals, they all died,” said Dr. Geisbert. “There was the belief that most of those patients treated were in the process of recovering anyway.” Yesterday, the “secret serum” called ZMapp emerged as the primary treatment of the Americans. This is an antibody therapy developed by several stakeholders — Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc. and LeafBio in San Diego, Defyrus Inc. from Toronto, the U.S. government and the Public Health Agency of Canada — to treat Ebola. It’s made up of a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies, which are just lab-produced molecules that mimic the body’s immune response. To create these molecules, scientists gave mice Ebola proteins and watched the animals’ immune systems respond. After identifying the antibodies that fought off the disease in mice, they created almost identical antibodies from plants for use in humans. The idea is that, when given to Ebola-infected people, the drug will boost their immune system so that they too can eliminate the virus. But this drug has never undergone testing in people, only monkeys. The data on the efficacy of ZMapp in monkeys has never even been published.
Studies on similar drugs are not entirely confidence inducing, either. In this study, two of the four monkeys given monoclonal antibodies 48 hours after exposure to Ebola survived. In this second study, the animals had a 43 percent survival rate when given the drug cocktail after the onset of symptoms. So even though the treatment of monoclonal antibodies decreased the mortality rate — if given close to exposure of the illness — scientists haven’t moved past these tiny animal studies to testing in actual people. Mapp Biopharmaceuticals is also just one of some 25 labs in seven countries working on these antibody cocktails for Ebola, and none of them have entered a phase one trial in humans, according to the journal Science. For this reason Dr. Martin Hirsch, a Harvard virologist, told Vox, “It’s too premature to say that the patients being treated miraculously improved.” That doesn’t mean ZMapp isn’t a promising therapy, however. It just means the American Ebola victims are effectively undergoing a science experiment. Even if they survive, it wasn’t necessarily the drug that saved their lives. Over 20 percent of people who get this type of Ebola survive. To know whether the drug truly works, it needs to be properly tested in clinical trials. And doing that will require funding drug companies and governments may not want to invest.
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