There really is no proven way to help cure fight the Ebola virus, but there are a few methods including the experimental ZMapp drug, and blood transfusions. I will talk about the ZMapp drug in a separate blog, but for now I want to take a focus on blood transfusions. In an article by Steven Johnson, it is suggested that blood transfusions could be used to help cure Ebola patients. The process requires that Ebola survivors donate blood, so it can be transfused into patients that are currently suffering Ebola. After surviving Ebola, your body develops antibodies to the disease and in theory when their blood is transfused to an active patient, it helps them to fight Ebola. This also allows the body to build up it's immune system against the disease or at least that particular strain of Ebola. (Johnson, para. 5) Sadly, this is just an "unproven therapy," as Johnson describes it. (Johnson, para. 1) There is no proof that this method actually works or helps to fight against the disease, but according to Johnson's article, The European Commission has announced that it will be funding a study to determine whether or not this method of treatment is actually effective. There is still a strong belief that this method actually works when seven of eight patients who were given blood transfusions survived. (Johnson, para. 7) With those results, I think that it clearly shows that this is a great method of treatment! There are, unfortunately, many problems that occur with this method of treatment.
Here in the United States, this method of treatment would not be very successful. Johnson gives his point that if "the nation sees a sudden uptick in the number of Ebola cases," then there would not be enough people to donate blood in large supply. (Johnson, para. 4) Only but a handful of people have survived the Ebola virus here in the United States. They alone could not supply a vast amount of people if there were to be an outbreak in the United States. Unlike in the places of Africa, there are more than enough people who have survived the disease that would be willing to donate their blood, but of course this cannot go without it's own problems. Many parts of Africa do not have the resources to provide that kind of treatment to thousands of patients. Not only that, but it could also "increase the risk of other infections such as hepatitis and HIV if [the] blood is not properly tested." (Johnson, para. 5) This is really a bad situation because either way there is no way to properly use this method. Here in the United States, we would not have the supply of blood for all the transfusions needed if there were an outbreak and in Africa there are not enough resources.
Here in the United States, this method of treatment would not be very successful. Johnson gives his point that if "the nation sees a sudden uptick in the number of Ebola cases," then there would not be enough people to donate blood in large supply. (Johnson, para. 4) Only but a handful of people have survived the Ebola virus here in the United States. They alone could not supply a vast amount of people if there were to be an outbreak in the United States. Unlike in the places of Africa, there are more than enough people who have survived the disease that would be willing to donate their blood, but of course this cannot go without it's own problems. Many parts of Africa do not have the resources to provide that kind of treatment to thousands of patients. Not only that, but it could also "increase the risk of other infections such as hepatitis and HIV if [the] blood is not properly tested." (Johnson, para. 5) This is really a bad situation because either way there is no way to properly use this method. Here in the United States, we would not have the supply of blood for all the transfusions needed if there were an outbreak and in Africa there are not enough resources.
I think that this would be a great method to help treat the patients, but I have to agree with the article; these countries do not have the resources. Even if they did have the resources, the risk for other disease would be very high if the blood is not tested correctly. Not only this, but the blood has to be very particular. You would not be able to give someone type A blood when they are O. Perhaps in the future, we can find out whether or not this method actually helps and find out why, so that we could possibly create a medicine of some sort.
This blog compares to my other ones such as the one because everyone with Ebola needs to have intensive care and isolation. Usually, in the United States they are taken away to an isolated hospital where they are cared for weeks until they are finally cured. Did these patients have blood transfusions? They probably did not unless they were imported from a different country. It is not a disease that anyone wants to transmit, but it can easily be prevented.
Steven Ross Johnson is part of the reporting staff at Modern Healthcare. He joined them in 2013 and covers public health. He has also been a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Progress Illinois, the Chicago Reporter and the Times of Northwest Indiana. He has also been a government affairs reporter for the Courier-News. He graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a bachelors in Communication and from Northwestern University with a master's degree in journalism. Johnson is a credible author because he has had many years of experience in writing and he specializes in public health.
This blog compares to my other ones such as the one because everyone with Ebola needs to have intensive care and isolation. Usually, in the United States they are taken away to an isolated hospital where they are cared for weeks until they are finally cured. Did these patients have blood transfusions? They probably did not unless they were imported from a different country. It is not a disease that anyone wants to transmit, but it can easily be prevented.
Steven Ross Johnson is part of the reporting staff at Modern Healthcare. He joined them in 2013 and covers public health. He has also been a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Progress Illinois, the Chicago Reporter and the Times of Northwest Indiana. He has also been a government affairs reporter for the Courier-News. He graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a bachelors in Communication and from Northwestern University with a master's degree in journalism. Johnson is a credible author because he has had many years of experience in writing and he specializes in public health.
Johnson, Steven R. "Can Transfusions Aid Ebola Fight?" Modern Healthcare. N.p., 1 Nov. 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.