As at of August 1, 2014, there have been at least 1,603 cases of Ebola and 887 deaths recorded in the recent outbreak which is centred in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization, and the number is going on the rise everyday.
After a call to bid his wife farewell, Dr. Kent Brantly, a physician who works with the relief organization Samaritan’s Purse and had contracted Ebola after treating Ebola patients at a missionary clinic in Liberia, was called back from the gate of death after taking the
'magical cocktail' called the ZMapp. Another American aid worker, Nancy Writebol is also a living testimony to the powerful healing effect of this cocktail.
ZMapp is made by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc, a San Diego-based drugs company founded in 2003. ZMapp for now, is an experimental serum, composed of three 'humanised' monoclonal antibodies produced transgenically and subsequently manufactured in large number of tobacco plants, specifically Nicotiana. It is an optimised cocktail combining the best components of MB-003 and ZMAb.
To make the drug, scientists injected mice with parts of the Ebola virus and then harvested the antibodies the animals produced to fight the virus. MB-003 is a mixture of 3 chimeric monoclonal antibodies, and ZMAb is a combination of 3 EBOV-GP-specific monoclonal antibodies. Both MB-003 and ZMAb, have proved to a great percentage, protection and survival ability on monkeys. "It basically neutralizes the virus so it can't do any further damage," said Dr. Heinz Feldmann, chief of the U.S. National Institutes of Health's virology laboratory in Hamilton, Montana. Neutralizing antibodies attack the virus by interfering with its surface.
According to Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "every medicine has risks and benefits. Experts can’t be sure of the effect of an experimental drug such as ZMapp. Until we do a study, we don't know if it helps, if it hurts, or if it doesn't make any difference", CDC news reports.
However, on July 22, Brantly woke up feeling feverish. Fearing the worst, he immediately isolated himself. Writebol's symptoms started three days later. A rapid field blood test confirmed the infection in both of them after they had become ill with fever, vomiting and diarrhea. The ZMapp vials, stored at subzero temperatures were flown to the hospital in Liberia where Brantly and Writebol were being treated. Being aware of the risk of taking a new, little-understood treatment, they gave informed consent. Within an hour of receiving the medication, Brantly's condition dramatically improved. He began breathing easier; the rash over his trunk faded away. One of his doctors described the events as "miraculous." By the next morning, Brantly was able to take a shower on his own before being evacuated to the United States. Writebol also received a vial of the medication. Her response was not as remarkable, however, doctors later administered Writebol a second dose of the medication, which resulted in significant improvement, CNN reports. The U.S. Food and Drugs Administration has not yet approved it for safety in humans, and as such, very little of the drug is currently available.