Large-scale Convalescent Blood and Plasma Transfusion Therapy for Ebola Virus Disease

An effective therapy for Ebola virus disease (EVD) not only will lower the case-fatality rate but also will provide an incentive for patients to seek treatment, thereby enhancing primary and secondary prevention efforts. While several experimental drugs are being considered, the World Health Organiz...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 2015-04, Vol.211 (8), p.1208-1210
Main Authors: Colebunders, Robert L., Cannon, Robert O.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ebola virus
Ebolavirus - immunology
EDITORIAL COMMENTARY
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - immunology
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - therapy
Humans
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Summary:An effective therapy for Ebola virus disease (EVD) not only will lower the case-fatality rate but also will provide an incentive for patients to seek treatment, thereby enhancing primary and secondary prevention efforts. While several experimental drugs are being considered, the World Health Organization (WHO) has prioritized Ebola convalescent whole blood (CWB) and convalescent plasma (CP) transfusion for evaluation because this can be done relatively quickly and, if proven to be safe and effective, could be implemented without delay [1]. The use of blood from recuperated individuals has a long history of use for treatment of other serious infectious diseases and, with appropriate precautions, is generally considered safe [2]. However, the WHO has indicated that this intervention must be considered as experimental for EVD and, therefore, that initial studies should be conducted within a clinical trial framework [1].
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/jiv043