In a major breakthrough, scientists have found a cure for Ebola which can potentially reduce the death rate
The cure for Ebola was found after two of the four drugs that were being tested in the Democratic Republic of the Congo showed positive results.
According to the World Health Organization and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, ZMapp and Remdesivir were dropped after two monoclonal antibodies showed better results. ZMapp was used during the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Authorities have now stopped the trial which commenced in November and all Ebola treatment units have been directed to use the two monoclonal antibody drugs.
Prof Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the director general of the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in DRC, said, “From now on, we will no longer say that Ebola is incurable”. “These advances will help save thousands of lives,” he further added.
Officials have asserted that one of the reasons of the low survival rate of those infected is the reluctance to seek treatment. Dr Michael Ryan from the World Health Organization avowed that people do not turn up at treatment centre for four days, which greatly reduces their chance of survival. Moreover, the virus transmits to other family members by that time, he further stated.
Scientists believe that the next phase of the treatment is crucial in determining the impact of the two drugs. Dr Jeremy Farrar, the co-chair of the WHO Ebola therapeutics group, said, “The more we learn about these two treatments, and how they can complement the public health response, including contact tracing and vaccination, the closer we can get to turning Ebola from a terrifying disease to one that is preventable and treatable.” “We won’t ever get rid of Ebola but we should be able to stop these outbreaks from turning into major national and regional epidemics,” he added.
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