Ebola patients buying survivors' blood from black market, WHO warns

CNN ^ | September 19, 2014 | Faith Karimi,

[BenLurkin]

As hospitals in nations hardest hit by Ebola struggle to keep up, desperate patients are turning to the black market to buy blood from survivors of the virus, the World Health Organization warned.

The deadliest Ebola outbreak in history has killed at least 2,400 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- the countries most affected by the virus.

Blood from survivors, referred to as convalescent serum, is said to have antibodies that can fight the deadly virus. Though the treatment is unproven, it has provided some promise for those fighting a disease that's killing more than half of those it has infected.

[Black Agnes]

WHO is upset because there may be more survivors.

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping…

A link to this thread has been posted on the Ebola Surveillance Thread

[Axenolith]

The people protesting the atomic bombing???

[bgill]

Paging, Sherlock.

[wastedyears]

They seriously believe that by raping a virgin, they’ll be cured of AIDS?

[Oliviaforever]

“The people protesting the atomic bombing???”

That would have been the Westboro people who just got on a flight to Liberia to protest the Ebola Gay.

[dinodino]

Africa is not a country, and Madagascar is not in Africa.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[exDemMom]

I guess its only been useful since the early 1900's. Maybe more testing by the FDA is necessary.

Convalescent serum has been tried in previous Ebola outbreaks, but it has had mixed results. The reason to use it now comes in the category of "it's better to try something than sit around and do nothing."

[bgill]

Never said it was.

[null and void]

Eeeee-bolllll-aaaaaa ping!

Bring Out Your Dead

We’re gonna need

a bigger cart!

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

[PghBaldy]

Yes. They rape babies even for this purpose.

[PghBaldy]

I would consider it an African country, just like I consider Ireland part of Europe.