Ebola Treatment

The treatment of Ebola is still under development, as much information is still required about effective drugs to treat this disease, among other variables of importance. Although this may seem daunting and uncertain, clinicians remain optimistic about it. Next, in this article, we share all the information about it. Keep reading!

Ebola

The  Ebola is a rare and fatal disease caused by infection of the virus family Filoviridae . This is a zoonotic virus and is believed to occur naturally in fruit bats and is transmitted from animals to humans through bodily fluids. 

People also get it from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes). This happens with blood or body fluids from a person who is sick or who has died from this virus.

The disease caused by this virus is also called Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Its initial symptoms are usually a sudden fever, weakness, and muscle aches. Later, vomiting, diarrhea, internal and external bleeding, skin rashes, etc. appear. All this is usually associated with the deterioration of organ functions such as the kidney or liver.

Regarding the risk of transmission of the disease, this is high in health workers, as well as in the relatives of the sick. It is also possible to be infected by being in contact with a corpse.

Ebola treatment: drugs under study

Today  there is no antiviral drug approved to treat Ebola.  However, scientists around the world are busy searching for a cost-effective cure. A recent research article published in PLOS Pathogens suggests that interferon gamma (IFN-γ), which is a drug approved by the FDA to treat chronic granulomatous disease and osteoporosis, could be used to treat infection caused by this virus.

Interferons (IFNs) are a group of proteins that are created and released by a cell in response to a viral or bacterial attack. The findings in this paper are promising, leading the authors to believe that “IFN-γ may serve as an effective prophylactic or therapeutic drug against Ebola infection.

What doesn’t work

Studies show that these treatments don’t seem to work:

Ebola Survivor Blood Donations

Infusing a patient with the virus with blood products from an Ebola survivor was a widely publicized treatment in the United States. Dr. Kent Brantley, the first American Ebola patient , received a transfusion from a Liberian boy and later donated his own plasma to at least four other patients.

The fact that several Americans survived after receiving plasma is attributed to the fact that their disease was caught early and they remained well hydrated. Hydration is a key factor in surviving this disease.

Brincidofovir

The experimental drug has worked for some patients with various viral infections, but a study on brincidofovir and Ebola ended abruptly last year. Chimerix, the American company that makes it, withdrew its drug from the trial without clearly explaining why.

The cancellation of the much-announced study was embarrassing. But this taught the research world a lesson. Do not start human studies based on the limited evidence that the drug might work.

Reasons for hope

Experts are optimistic and believe that any of these three medications could be an effective treatment for this condition:

Zmapp

The National Institutes of Health and the government of Liberia announced a clinical trial to study whether the American drug works. The Zmapp study is still in progress, which may be a good sign, as the studies are canceled if the drug is thought not to work.

• One possible problem with Zmapp is that it is expensive and time-consuming to produce.

GS-5734

This drug from Gilead, a California biopharmaceutical company, is so new it doesn’t even have a name. In animal studies, 100% of the virus-infected monkeys that received the drug survived, according to the company.

• Studies have already begun to determine whether the drug is safe for humans.

BCX4413

This is another new drug that  doesn’t have a name yet either. The US National Institutes of Health is spending millions researching whether BCX4413 works against this and other viruses.

• According to a company statement, the drug has been successful in fighting Ebola in non-human primates.

Mixed results

These four drugs have had mixed or unknown results, and experts seem pessimistic about their potential to treat this disease:

Favipiravir

A study from last year suggests that this Japanese flu medicine might work against this virus. As long as patients have relatively low levels of the virus in their blood and are not too sick.

While the French sponsors of the drug test were excited about the results, others said that due to the way the test was conducted, it is still unclear whether the drug works. Even for those with a low viral load.

Interferon

Canadian researchers have studied this drug used for multiple sclerosis for its effectiveness against Ebola. However, the results have not yet been published. According to the WHO, there were only nine patients in the study. Therefore, the results are not believed to be significant for drawing conclusions. 

Artesunate-amodiaquine

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found the following: Patients with this disease who took this antimalarial drug had a lower risk of dying than those who took a different antimalarial drug. This study was conducted in 2014 with a total of 382 patients. Therefore, the results are taken into account for other possible similar investigations.

Lamivudine

Interest in this HIV drug grew when a television station reported the following: At the height of the Ebola outbreak , a Liberian doctor desperate to save his patients began using it.

Dr. Gorbee Logan reasoned that the two viruses, Ebola and HIV, share some similarities in the way they replicate and spread throughout the body. He told the television channel in September 2014 that he had given the drug to 15 patients with the virus and that 13 of them survived. This at a time when 70% of Ebola patients died in West Africa.

Ebola Treatment: A Dark Future

There are no FDA-approved vaccines or drugs available for this condition. Symptoms of the virus and complications are treated as they appear. The following basic interventions, when used early, can significantly improve the chances of survival:

• Supply of intravenous fluids and balancing electrolytes (body salts).
• Maintain oxygen status and blood pressure.
• Treat other infections if they occur.

Experimental vaccines and treatments for Ebola are being developed . However, they have not yet been fully tested for safety or efficacy. Recovery from Ebola depends on good care and the patient’s immune response. People who recover from the infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years. Perhaps even longer.

Final comments: surviving Ebola

It is not known if people who recover are immune for life. Or if they can be infected with a different species of Ebola. Some people who have recovered from Ebola have developed long-term complications. For example, joint and vision problems. Even after recovery, the virus can be found in some body fluids, including semen. The time it takes for Ebola to leave semen is different for each man:

• For some men who survived the disease, the virus left their semen within three months.
• For others, the virus did not leave their semen for nine months.
• According to the results of studies,  the amount of virus decreases over time and ultimately leaves the semen.