Comment on Ebola: Professor Ian Jones says ZMapp transfusion therapy proves Ebola therapy post infection is possible
Release Date 05 August 2014
With the news that US Ebola victims may have been saved by the experimental drug ZMapp, Professor Ian Jones, virologist at the University of Reading, says it's just a specialist treatment at this stage.
"The ZMapp therapy being applied to selected Ebola cases was developed several years ago and has been shown to be effective in animal models. It consists of a mixture of antibodies which block Ebola infection. In effect it is like giving a patient the benefit of vaccination without them having been vaccinated. The therapy has not been tested previously in man.
"The treatment requires monitored transfusion so the patient must be hospitalised and is most effective when given as early as possible after diagnosis. The treatment marks an important proof of principle that Ebola therapy post infection is possible. However it remains a specialist treatment that is unlikely to be available to many in the current outbreak."