A black market for blood from Ebola survivors has emerged as desperate victims of the virus search for a cure to the deadly disease, but the World Health Organization has warned that this could lead to spread of other disease such as HIV.
Blood from Ebola survivors, referred to as convalescent serum, is said to have antibodies that can fight the deadly virus. Though unproven, it has provided some promise in fighting a disease that kills up to 90 percent of its victims and has no approved drug to treat it.
“Studies suggest blood transfusions from survivors might prevent or treat Ebola virus infection in others, but the results of the studies are still difficult to interpret,” CNN quoted the WHO saying. “It is not known whether antibodies in the plasma of survivors are sufficient to treat or prevent the disease. More research is needed.”
The deadliest Ebola Outbreak in recorded history has already killed more than 2,400 people and infected almost 5,000 others in West Africa countries of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Congo. It is feared that the disease could infect over 20,000 people before it is contained.
The WHO is encouraging the use of properly obtained serum to treat current patients and said last week it should be a priority.
A third U.S. missionary worker who was infected with Ebola in Liberia and flown to the U.S. for medical care was treated with blood transfusions from another American who recovered from the virus last month, Bloomberg reported.
The 51-year-old physician, Rick Sacra, who is hospitalized in Omaha, Nebraska, got blood serum from Kent Brantly, a fellow American who survived Ebola. Both got infected when they were helping patients in Liberia.
However patient in affected African countries are buying untested blood from the black market, which WHO says could lead to the spread of other infections, including HIV and other blood-related ailments.
“We need to work very closely with the affected countries to stem out black market trading of convalescent serum for two reasons,” Margaret Chan, WHO’s director-general, said this week.
“Because it is in the interest of individuals not to just get convalescent serum without … going through the proper standard and the proper testing because it is important that there may be other infectious vectors that we need to look at.”
