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Black market in blood of Ebola survivors to treat victims, doctors report
World Health Organisation warning comes as President Obama prepares to step up US efforts to tackle deadly virus
A black market in the sale of the blood of survivors of the Ebola virus – which can be used to treat victims – has emerged in the West African nations at the heart of the current outbreak, the World Health Organisation has said.
While convalescent serum has proved successful in helping sufferers, the United Nations health agency said it was concerned about the illicit trade because blood may not have been screened for other diseases, such as HIV.
Speaking in Geneva, where the WHO is based, Dr Margaret Chan, the agency’s director, did not give details of where the black market had been discovered, but warned that there were concerns over collection and storage methods.
Ebola survivors build up antibodies in their white blood cells which are used to tackle the virus. When transferred to another patient, doctors say, the sufferer appears to benefit from the boost to their immune system.
Rick Sacra, a 51-year-old American doctor who contracted Ebola while working in a maternity hospital in Liberia, is currently being treated with blood plasma transfusions from survivor and fellow US missionary Dr Kent Brantly, 33, along with experimental medication.
There is no approved cure for Ebola and in the short term the WHO has said that blood transfusions from survivors are likely to be the most effective method of tackling the outbreak. Work is currently under way to establish a registry of survivors complete with their blood types in order to begin the process of extracting their plasma for use to treat future victims.
At the same press conference, Dr Chan called for more doctors from around the world to volunteer to help the Ebola-hit nations of West Africa, including Sierra Leone and Guinea as well as Liberia.
US President Barack Obama is tomorrow expected to set out plans for a major boost in American efforts to fight the disease during a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where Dr Brantly was treated.
Last week he asked Congress to approve a request for $88 million (£54 million) to tackle the virus, while the State Department issued a request via social media for health care volunteers willing to travel to Africa to help treat victims of the highly infectious disease.
President Obama is likely to announce that the US will send additional portable hospitals, medical supplies and experts capable of training health care workers in the infected regions.