A Glimmer Of Hope, Surely???

 It seems there's a glimmer of hope in the quest for a cure to this dreadful Ebola epidemic sweeping across the world. There has been reports of more deaths and more countries affected by the virus.

Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol are American missionaries who contracted this dreadful virus while in Africa but upon getting some of this newly discovered serum administered into their systems, they have so far shown signs of improvement. Dr. Kent Brantly thought he was going to die when his situation worsened after he came down with symptoms of Ebola in Liberia after about nine days. He even called his wife to bid her farewell but thankfully he bounced back from the jaws of death upon treatment with the new found antidote.

" The experimental drug, known as ZMapp, was developed by the biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc., which is based in San Diego.The patients were told that the treatment had never been tried before in a human being but had shown promise in small experiments with monkeys." - CNN

I would have totally surrendered myself to being experimented with such a drug if I was infected by such an incurable disease. It's a case of certain death and a tiny glimmer of hope. While I understand that this drug is still being tested and there are risks involved, I still think it is a far better option than having absolutely no cure and a dreadfully painful end to one's life.

So far there has been 8 suspected cases of this Ebola virus in Lagos with one confirmed case. The doctor who attended to the sick Liberian man, who seemed to have brought this epidemic to Nigeria, is said to have been confirmed with carrying the virus. :( Other health workers who unknowingly came in contact with him are suspected with having been infected but they have been quarantined and have yet to display the key symptoms. Sigh.

 


I hope this serum is for real and I hope it gets adequately circulated to the needy. I also hope it can be contained before it gets really bad. I know Nigeria does not have the capacity, currently, to handle an epidemic yes, I said it! It's a most horrible way to die and I hope the right authorities do the needful concerning prevention, curbing and curing the affected.