Ebola Virus Strikes Western Africa, the WHO says the use of experimental treatment is ethical

This is news regarding the updated situation of the Ebola outbreak in four West African nations, namely Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria. The WHO report said that the death toll from this virus-caused-disease in those countries had reached 1,013 since February 2014 with a total of 1,848 cases having been reported. Fear over the spread of the virus has continued to cripple West Africa. In the near future, the problems will become “catastrophic” because of the shortage of medication and limited number of doctors in the region. To tackle this problem, the use of unproven, experimental vaccines is suggested. Despite these currently being no vaccine for Ebola, the WHO agreed that the use of experimental treatments for the disease is ethical. The vaccine, named ZMapp, has been developed by Mapp Pharmaceutical San Diego. Before this, the vaccine had never been tested on humans. Its first use on two U.S. citizens, who contracted the Ebola virus in Liberia, succeeded in improving their condition, despite the role of this medication still being unclear. As the outbreak worsens, U.S. officials have said they intend to fast-track development of an Ebola vaccine and could begin human trials next month. The potential vaccine has shown encouraging results in non-human primates, and if human testing goes well it could be available in limited amounts next year. In my opinion, it is a fast and quick response of the WHO to halt the spread of the Ebola disease. In the meantime, it is important to consider the Ebola outbreak as a public health emergency which needs international concern because it has been spreading across nations and cannot be controlled yet. With this status, tackling efforts are maximized through international aid. The most important is that the awareness of the danger of this disease is increased, so all countries can strengthen their own health management to control its spread. In the case of the use of experimental drugs or vaccines, the WHO should take this measure in a careful manner, realizing that anything can go wrong to the patient, but we move nowhere if we do not take a chance. The WHO, however, has to strictly monitor the company who produce the vaccine in order to ensure that it does not contain dangerous substances. The distribution of this limited number of vaccine has to be guarded, hoping that there is no discrimination to either the rich or poor patients. LFN