FG contacts US for experimental drug for the Ebola Virus
Category: Health & Physical Fitness
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| Victim of Ebola Virus |
As part of moves to mitigate the outbreak of deadly Ebola virus, the Federal Government has
reached out to the Centre for Disease Control, in the United States of
America, for access to the experimental drug being administered on the
two American missionaries infected with Ebola Virus disease.
Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, who disclosed this, said government was in consultation with the US health body over the possibility of Nigeria getting access to the trial drug, for administration on victims of Ebola in the country.
American doctors, Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who worked with the aid organisation Samaritan’s Purse, and contracted Ebola from another healthcare worker at their hospital in Liberia, have been flown to the Emory Hospital in Atlanta for treatment with the experimental drug. The experimental drug, known as “ZMapp”, was developed by a San Diego-based biotech firm, Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. The treatment had never been tried before in a human being but had shown promise in small experiments with monkeys.
Chukwu who expressed optimism about the consultation, noted: “We are in touch with the Americans. Yesterday, I spoke on telephone with the Director of the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Tom Freiden. We spoke at length, and we have exchanged emails. Yesterday, I inaugurated the Treatment Research Group and one of its Terms of Reference is to collaborate with similar working groups across the world. Now that they have started work, they will get in touch with the Americans and understand what they are doing and whether we have access to similar opportunity.”
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| Ebola Virus Bat |
Further, he said members of the Committee had opportunity of looking at
their own options and developing something on potential cure for Ebola.
Nigerian doctors can develop cure
“Nobody says that new, fresh ideas cannot come out of Nigeria. We should not underestimate the intelligence of Nigerians. I do not underestimate the intelligence of our professionals, I believe something positive is going to come out.”
Chukwu, however, noted that the committee was set up specifically for
Ebola. It is a standing committee. Its time frame is indefinite and as
long as Ebola is an issue, it will work on it. As long as Ebola is
relevant they have work to do. If, it develops a treatment, or Ebola
goes we will give the members other responsibilities.”
NMA volunteers
Meanwhile in a related development, the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has said the ongoing nationwide strike of the Association would not stop doctors in Lagos from volunteering to participate in the treatment of possible Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, patients.
Meanwhile in a related development, the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has said the ongoing nationwide strike of the Association would not stop doctors in Lagos from volunteering to participate in the treatment of possible Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, patients.
This is coming on the heels of the appeal by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris on the need for striking doctors and other health workers like; nurses, environmental health workers and phlebotomists to complement the state health workforce.
At a press conference in Lagos to enlighten the general public on mode of infection, symptoms and preventive measures for Ebola, the Lagos State chapter chairman of the NMA, Dr. Tope Ojo, confirmed that already doctors in the state have volunteered to join the team of experts managing patients at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.
Ojo said already, some of its members had volunteered to join seven of the sub-committees on Ebola.
“Strike or no strike, we must respond to emergencies. Our doctors are at
Mainland Hospital, Yaba, where isolated contacts are being monitored.
There are seven committees working on the management of the disease at
the centre in Lagos and our members are part of of the various
committees.
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| Ebola can be contacted from consumption of bush meat |
“When there is disaster outbreak, you find out that there will be
response by NMA. The issue of strike will not affect our involvement.
The NMA is a responsible body and I can assure you that in as much as we
don’t pray for natural disasters, NMA will definitely respond. We
worked all through the night trying to find out who should be here or
there today. It is not a question of if the hospital is on today we work
more than what we have been doing,” he added.
“But the committee where we are having challenges getting volunteers is
case management. This is the people that work directly with confirmed
and suspected cases.
“Look at the protective measures that doctors in Liberia and Guinea
wear. They are well protected, yet some of them still caught it. Our
doctors are worried about the danger it poses to their lives and they
need to be reassured. We understand their fears and we are making moves
to confirm the level of preparedness of the government for doctors.”
He further stated that even with the ongoing strike, nothing was lacking
in terms of the intervention of doctors. “As I am talking to you, more
doctors are volunteering to participate in all the committees that are
working on the preventive spread of Ebola.”
He, however, lamented that the NMA strike was a fallout of inability of
government to accede to the reasonable demands of the doctors, adding
that several negotiations since the beginning of the strike, more than
one month ago, have consistently broken down based on government’s
inability to accede to the demands.
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| Ebola Hand |
Hospital matron shows symptoms
Ojo further disclosed that the infected doctor, who is presently on admission at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, is responding to treatment. “We know that the infected doctor is stable, however, the matron is now showing symptoms. But everybody including the experts from the World Health Organization are doing all they can.”
Ojo further disclosed that the infected doctor, who is presently on admission at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, is responding to treatment. “We know that the infected doctor is stable, however, the matron is now showing symptoms. But everybody including the experts from the World Health Organization are doing all they can.”
He announced that Lagos NMA has set up another committee comprising doctors to work out modalities on informing the public on preventive measures on Ebola and other endemic diseases.
He also announced that the doctors will be carrying out advocacy visits to the markets and public places to also enlighten people on the dreaded disease.
Also speaking, the Secretary of the NMA Lagos, Dr. Babajide Saheed, said the doctors were working closely with the WHO and other stakeholders to contain the risk of the infection to others.
Saheed said: “Not all doctors can attend to an Ebola patient. In fact, you must limit the number of health workers treating affected persons just to contain the risk. “We will be escalating the situation if doctors rush to Mainland Hospital just to attend to patients.”
World Bank Group mobilizes $200m to fight Ebola
Meanwhile, with the latest death toll from the West Africa Ebola epidemic now at 887, the World Bank Group has pledged the sum of US $200 million as emergency funding to help Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone contain the spread of Ebola infections, help their communities cope with the economic impact of the crisis, and improve public health systems throughout West Africa.
Announcing the package in Abuja, World Bank Group President, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, said the new financing commitment was in response to a call from both the three African countries hardest-hit by Ebola and the World Health Organization, WHO for immediate assistance to contain the outbreak.
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