Dr. Muyembe set out on his path to an Ebola treatment during the 1995 outbreak. He transferred blood from five survivors to eight patients, hoping that the antibodies that kept some people alive would keep others from dying. Seven of the patients who received the blood transfusion recovered.
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Clever strategy
Dr. Muyembe set out on his path to an Ebola treatment during the 1995 outbreak. He transferred blood from five survivors to eight patients, hoping that the antibodies that kept some people alive would keep others from dying. Seven of the patients who received the blood transfusion recovered.
It's the first thing I'd try... because I've seen it done in movies.
This seems similar to an old technique, 'inoculation', which predates vaccination and was used with some success to protect against smallpox.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inoculation
It's like horse serum. It isn't a less deadly infection conferring the benefit, it is the immune system components of the blood, the antibodies.
https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/horse-serum
I wonder what an Ethics Review Board would have to say about this...
Well lets see? It had a 90% death rate as a disease I would gladly give, receive or beg for it for myself or my child.
Note that the survivability of Ebola is much higher if you are in an hospital. Basically, if you have access to IV hydration.
Serum based treatments are a known and well-documented technique, and not particularly exotic or unethical.
About what particularly? Blood transfusions in general are neither new nor rare.
Note it's survivors, not still sick patients, having their blood taken