Ebola Survivor Kent Brantly News: Brantly Helping Others in Fight Against Ebola
Kent Brantly, who survived Ebola, has been providing blood to others who have contracted the disease. Brantly was in Monrovia, Liberia working for Samaritan's Purse and caring for victims of Ebola when he got infected.
He was airlifted to the United States for treatment as his condition worsened, but before leaving, a 14-year-old former patient of his provided him with a unit of blood for a transfusion.
In the United States, Brantly was treated and was subsequently discharged from hospital on August 21 after recovering fully.
Brantly received the drug ZMapp, which is currently being tested for its efficacy against Ebola. Although it is not clear whether ZMapp or transfusions are helping people recover, Brantly has donated plasma to others suffering from Ebola since his discharge from hospital.
He first donated to a fellow member of Samaritan's Purse, Dr. Rick Sacra, and then to Ashoka Mukpo, both of whom are being treated at Nebraska Medical Center and doing better. Brantly is also reportedly donating blood to Nina Pham, who got Ebola while treating Thomas Eric Duncan, who contracted the disease in Liberia and travelled to Dallas.
Thomas Eric Duncan, who subsequently died of the disease, did not receive a transfusion from Brantly or any other donors because his blood type was not compatible. Transfusing blood from Ebola survivors to those who have contracted it, can be helpful if it is done in the early stages of the disease, according to some medics.
The WHO is therefore considering "blood therapies as a matter of priority" as it is theoretically possible that antibodies from an Ebola survivor can help the immune system of a patient who is afflicted with the disease.
Since Brantly donated blood to Nina Pham, NBC News has reported that her condition has stabilized. However, the hospital where Pham worked while treating Duncan is still trying to understand how she was infected in spite of wearing protective gear and gloves. Meanwhile, a second hospital worker in Dallas has been confirmed to have contracted Ebola.
